HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Mage, a 3-year-old chestnut colt, overcame the odds to win the 149th Kentucky Derby, fulfilling a lifelong dream of one of his South Florida-based co-owners.
For Ramiro Restrepo, the “greatest two minutes in sports” became even greater.
Recommended Videos
Mage, a 15-1 shot, had only one win in his career, giving little indication that he could triumph against 17 rivals in a race that is not kind to the inexperienced.
Still, he made a gutsy stretch run, overtaking Two Phil’s to his inside and winning by a length. Mage, who didn’t race as a 2-year-old, ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57.
“It’s just a dream,” Restrepo told Local 10 News. “That’s what it is. It’s a dream that’s come true.”
Restrepo and his team joined together and bought Mage last year — and never had any doubts they picked the right pony.
“It’s been a fabulous year, together, as a group, and we’ve achieved a lifelong goal for all of us to win, arguably, the most prestigious horse race in the world,” Restrepo said.
Restrepo, who went to Columbus High School and the University of Miami, is still basking in Mage’s victory.
“It’s fulfilled so many familial dreams, personal goals,” He said. “(Like the) Tom Petty song says, ‘I got a room at the top, and I ain’t coming down,’ you know, it’s the greatest feeling ever.”
Mage joined Justify (2018), Big Brown (2008) and Regret (2015) as Derby winners with just three previous starts.