Mage shipping to Thoroughbred Training Center

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Kentucky Derby winner Mage, who finished a disappointing seventh and last in the Grade 1 Travers, will depart Saratoga on Tuesday for the Thoroughbred Training Center in Lexington, Ky., where he will resume regular training with the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Nov. 4 at Santa Anita his primary goal at the present time.

Trainer Gustavo Delgado said Mage has done little more than jog over the Oklahoma training track since the Travers.

“We just want to be sure everything was perfect with him in light of his race in the Travers and at this point that appears to be the case,” Delgado said Monday. “We’ll get him back to Lexington and then I’ll just watch him closely and see how things go. Based on what I see, he’ll tell us what to do with him next.”

Mage was sent to the Thoroughbred Training Center following his third-place finish in the Preakness and got some time off before resuming training for his next start, a strong second-place finish behind Geaux Rocket Ride in the Grade 1 Haskell at Monmouth Park. Delgado conceded beforehand that he did not have Mage quite fit for his best effort in the Haskell and was essentially using the race as a prep for the Travers.

“I have no plans for him at the moment,” Delgado added. “The Pennsylvania Derby is out. The goal right now is to run in the Classic and figure out the best way to get him there, even if that means training up to the race.”

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Mage was ridden to victory in the Derby and in both the Preakness and Haskell by Javier Castellano, who ultimately ended up aboard Arcangelo, the Travers winner. Delgado selected Luis Saez to fill Castellano’s shoes in the Travers, but Saez was forced to take off after being injured in a riding mishap days before the race. He was replaced by Flavien Prat, who had never ridden Mage prior to the midsummer classic.

Mage did not get the cleanest of trips in the Travers, racing wide throughout after getting pinched back after the break. He was beaten 15 lengths by Arcangelo in a race decided over a muddy track. He received an 85 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort, the lowest he’s recorded in seven lifetime starts.

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