In a mad dash from the final turn, 15-to-1 Mage took the 149th Running of the Roses Saturday at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
Jockey Javier Castellano erased his 0-for-15 record in the race with an ageless run from the eighth gate, finishing a shade above 2:01.
This brought considerable crowd approval.
With an official time of 2:01.57, Mage edged Two Phil’s by a length and Angel of Empire by a length-and-a-half.
Saturday’s favorite, Forte, was an early scratch because of a bruised right foot.
