The team behind GI Kentucky Derby winner Mage (Good Magic) was still savoring the colt's Classic victory on a rainy Sunday morning in Louisville, while taking a wait-and-see approach about a potential start in the May 20 GI Preakness S.
“The horse is looking very good. I checked with the vet, and he's fine,” trainer Gustavo Delgado, Sr. said. “Winning the Kentucky Derby is different than winning the Triple Crown and Simon Bolivar in Venezuela. It's the same but different. It was a very happy experience to win the Kentucky Derby with my son and family here. When we go out there and work every day, every day, every day, it's the best. Winning the Kentucky Derby was the goal. This is a good thing.”
Co-owner Ramiro Restrepo acknowledged how special the victory was for the entire team.
“For all of us, this was a lot of time dedication and sacrifice more than anything from these two boys [Delgado and assistant trainer/co-owner Gustavo Delgado Jr.],” Restrepo said. “This is a game that you lose way more than you win. It's a labor of love. You're just dream chasing. Today is very special for all of us. This is the top of the mountain in this sport for so many. Everyone knows the Kentucky Derby around the world. It's arguably, if not the, top race in the world. We had that dream come true. For one brief second, we can exhale, and look up, and enjoy this moment.”
Mage is likely to remain at Churchill Downs for several days and could return to the track as soon as Tuesday.
Should he line-up in the Preakness, Mage may face a rematch with Forte (Violence), who was scratched with a foot bruise as the morning-line favorite for Saturday's Derby.
Trainer Todd Pletcher termed Forte's foot “good” Sunday morning and said the champion should have a timed workout in the next few days. Forte, who galloped Saturday morning before being withdrawn from the Derby, did not train Sunday but will go back to the track Monday, Pletcher said.
“If he runs in the Preakness, then he'd probably not run in the Belmont,” Pletcher said of Forte's possible next starts. “We'd probably focus on the Travers after that, have a race before in the Jim Dandy or Haskell.”
Forte defeated Mage by one length in the Apr. 1 GI Curlin Florida Derby.
“I think it maybe puts some of the naysayers about the Florida Derby and [that] Forte didn't run a good race…to rest,” Pletcher said of Mage's Derby win justifying the form of the Florida Derby. “But we know he's a special horse: champion 2-year-old, Breeders' Cup Juvenile winner, two-for-two at three.”
Trainer Steve Asmussen saddled Disarm (Gun Runner) to a fourth-place finish in Saturday's Derby. That colt is under consideration for the Preakness, as is stablemate and GII Rebel S. runner-up Red Route One (Gun Runner).
“I was very happy with how Disarm came out of the race, bright and alert and traveling well,” Asmussen said. “He's a tough horse. We thought Disarm ran solid. We wanted a little better result, but he competes well against the best 3-year-olds in the country and we expect him to continue to get better.”
Red Route One, who earned a fees-paid berth in the Preakness by virtue of winning Oaklawn Park's Bath House Row S., worked five furlongs in 1:01.20 (2/8) Sunday at Churchill.
Derby runner-up Two Phil's (Hard Spun) is considered possible for the Preakness, as is 10th-place finisher Confidence Game (Candy Ride {Arg}).
While Brad Cox said it was unlikely any of his four Derby runners would start back in the Preakness, the trainer is expected to be represented in the race by GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. winner First Mission (Street Sense). The dark bay colt worked five furlongs in :59.80 (3/23) at Churchill Saturday.
“Right now, First Mission is our Preakness horse,” Cox said. “I don't know if we'll add any of these horses, but we'll have to make a decision soon. First Mission had a fantastic work yesterday. I'm very happy with what we're seeing.”
Non-Derby horses under consideration for the Preakness include Arabian Knight (Uncle Mo), National Treasure (Quality Raod), Blazing Sevens (Good Magic), Il Miracolo (Gun Runner), Henry Q (Blame), and Instant Coffee (Bolt d'Oro).
Chase the Chaos (Astern {Aus}), who earned an automatic berth in the Preakness for his victory in the El Camino Real Derby at Golden Gate Fields, is also being considered. Perform (Good Magic), winner of the Federico Tesio at Laurel Park, also has a spot, but would need to be supplemented for $150,000 on entry day to run.
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