SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – To hear Luis Saez tell it, he was supposed to be on the lead when he rode Mage in the Grade 1 Florida Derby five months ago. Instead, Mage broke slow and was last going into the first turn. That he ran so well – finishing second, beaten just one length by Forte – may have been the best thing to happen to Mage. Five weeks later, Mage, with Javier Castellano aboard, rallied from 15th place to win the Kentucky Derby. With Castellano staying on Belmont Stakes winner Arcangelo for Saturday’s Grade 1, $1.25 million Travers Stakes at Saratoga, Saez gets a second chance to ride Mage in an important race. “I’m pretty excited, it’s a big opportunity and we appreciate it,” Saez said Sunday between races at Saratoga. Saez said when he rode Mage for the first time in the Florida Derby, trainer Gustavo Delgado told him to be on the lead. Mage, making just his third career start, was fractious in the starting gate and broke last. Saez, knowing Forte was the horse to beat, opted for a different plan. :: DRF's 2023 Saratoga headquarters: Previews, past performances, picks, recaps, news, and more. “After the break, my thing was to try and follow Forte,” Saez said. “Be right there behind him.” He was behind Forte, but both were in the back of the pack. Leaving the half-mile pole, Saez began to move on Mage and he passed Forte around the far turn. In the stretch, Mage looked like a winner before Forte, under Irad Ortiz Jr., rallied by him. “I had a lot of horse the whole way,” Saez said. “Even when we came to the three-eighths, I saw Forte struggling, I make my move because I had so much horse. I don’t know if he got a little tired because it was the first time going that far, and Forte is obviously a super horse.” For many jockeys, a second-place finish in the Florida Derby means they have found their Kentucky Derby mount. But Saez had just ridden Tapit Trice to a pair of victories and was going to ride him the following week in the Grade 1 Blue Grass Stakes. When Tapit Trice won the Blue Grass, it prompted Saez to stick with him for the Kentucky Derby. But he knew Mage was going to be a contender. “Tapit Trice won the Tampa Derby, the Blue Grass, we went with him, but we knew Mage had a big chance to win the Derby,” Saez said. “That’s racing.” Saez finished seventh on Tapit Trice in the Kentucky Derby and then third on him in the Belmont Stakes. He rode him for a sixth consecutive time in the Haskell Invitational, finishing fifth. “Not the best track for him, a tight-turn, fast track,” Saez said. Saez was one of many in the mix for Mage in the Travers if Castellano was going to stay with Arcangelo, on whom he is 3 for 3 with victories in the Belmont Stakes and Peter Pan. That Saez had experience on Mage was one of the big reasons trainer Gustavo Delgado and his owners wanted him back on the horse for the Travers. Delgado believes the rapid acceleration Mage made in the Florida Derby when Saez asked him surprised Saez. :: Visit the Saratoga Handicapping Store for Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Picks, Betting Strategies, and more. Delgado said Saez called him and said he watched Mage’s last few starts and told him “I’ll wait a little more,” Delgado said. Saturday, Saez will be looking for his third Travers victory, having won the race in 2013 with Take Charge Indy and 2021 with Essential Quality. The 2021 Travers win was part of a Saratoga meet in which Saez led all riders with 64 wins. Currently, he sits second in the standings with 29 wins – 13 behind Irad Ortiz Jr. Not bad for a jockey who spent the bulk of the spring in Kentucky and who went 0 for 29 at the Belmont spring/summer meet. “It’s pretty tough to leave New York and go to Kentucky because when you come back everything is a little slow,” Saez said. “Right now, we’re doing great, we’re winning races.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.