“Did that really happen or was it a dream,” asked Javier Castellano after winning horseracing's most coveted prize, the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby.
Castellano also won the G2 American Turf on Saturday, leading the panel of racing experts to unanimously vote him the honor of Jockey of the Week for May 1 through May 7. The award recognizes jockeys for riding accomplishments and who are members of the Jockeys' Guild, the organization which represents more than 1050 active, retired and permanently disabled jockeys in the United States.
Castellano's “dream” day began with the win in the G2 American Turf aboard Webslinger for Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse. Racing in sixth on the outside after the half, Castellano launched his rally and caught Far Bridge in the final strides to win by a nose in 1:41.54 for the mile and one-sixteenth turf test and returning $47.34.
“I am so grateful that Mark (Casse) gave me the opportunity to ride this horse today,” said Castellano. “At Keeneland, he learned a lot when he finished third, and he broke so well coming out of the gate today.”
That race was just the prelude to the feature race of the day, the G1 Kentucky Derby. Breaking from post position eight in the field of 18, Mage had only three horses beaten heading into the backstretch. Castellano began to weave his way through traffic as Two Phil's with Jareth Loveberry raced along the rail leading the way on the far turn. Mage started to roll entering the stretch with dead aim on the leader. Mage took over leaving the eighth pole and carried Castellano to his long-overdue first Kentucky Derby victory in 2:01.57 for the mile and one-quarter. Two Phil's finished second with Angel of Empire completing the trifecta. Mage returned $32.52 to his believers.
“I'm so thankful for the opportunity to ride this horse,” the four-time Eclipse Award winner Castellano said, clearly emotional. “The whole team gave me the opportunity to ride this horse in the biggest race in the world. I had a lot of confidence in myself this year would be the year. This horse was unbelievable today. It's such a great feeling.”
Making the victory all the more satisfying is the fact that both the trainer of Mage, Gustavo Delgado, Sr. and Castellano are natives of Maracaibo, Venezuela.
“Javier is almost family; his father rode for (Delgado, Sr.), said Gustavo Delgado, Jr. “The exercise rider (J.J. Delgado) rode with Javier's dad. It felt like our own little family in this.”
Mage is scheduled to travel to Baltimore for the second leg of the Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday, May 20.
Other contenders for Jockey of the Week were Junior Alvarado who won the G1 Churchill Downs Stakes with Cody's Wish, Tyler Gaffalione who won the G1 Kentucky Oaks with Pretty Mischievous, Irad Ortiz, Jr. with three graded stakes wins including the G1 Turf Classic, and John Velazquez who won the G1 La Troienne.
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