Another Kentucky Derby and another upset. This time it was Mage who crossed the finish line first at odds of 15-1 and held off Two Phil's and and Angel of Empire to secure the triumph in the first jewel of the Triple Crown.

Mage followed Rich Strike, who won the 2022 Kentucky Derby at odds of 59-1. The larger fields in the Kentucky Derby often lead to upsets that provide huge payouts to bettors.

Pre-race favorite Forte was scratched on Saturday morning after he came back from a pre-race workout with a foot injury. Forte was 1 of 5 horses to drop out of the race in the days preceding the event.

Forte's absence turned the race into a wide-open affair, and Mage was able to take advantage of a fast pace by running fastest of all down the stretch and overtaking Two Phil's. That horse appeared to have an excellent chance to register the win after taking command near the far turn.

The 1 1/4 mile race that has regularly been the biggest event in the sport on an every-year basis got off to a notable start when Super Bowl winning quarterback Patrick Mahomes made the call for “Riders Up.”

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Mage was relatively untested before coming through with his victory in the Kentucky Derby. The Venezuelan horse was ridden by jockey Javier Castellano and trained by Gustavo Delgado.

Mage paid $32.42, $14.58 and $9.08. Two Phil's returned $10.44 and $6.52 at 9-1 odds. Angel of Empire paid $4.70 to show.

Mage's victory came on the 50th anniversary of Secretariat's triumph in the Run for the Roses. Secretariat would go on to win the 1973 Triple Crown and may be the greatest champion in racing history.