Mage, the 3-year-old colt trained by Gustavo Delgado and ridden by Javier Castellano, emerged as the triumphant winner of the 2023 Kentucky Derby. In a stunning display of skill and determination, Mage defied the odds and clinched victory by a length over Two Phil’s, capturing the hearts of spectators and enthusiasts alike. Bred in Kentucky by OGMA Investments, Ramiro Restrepo, Sterling Racing, and CMNWLTH, Mage showcased his exceptional abilities on the grand stage of Churchill Downs.

Despite having only three prior starts, Mage had already proven his mettle by securing victories in two of his races. As the longest shot in the field, carrying 15-1 odds, Mage entered the Kentucky Derby with a sense of anticipation and the desire to exceed expectations.

The race took place on a fast track, with Mage breaking from the eighth post position.

During the race he was found sitting at the back of the pack but this was as though he was waiting for his perfect moment. As the final stretch arrived, Mage opened his legs and with a burst of pace and agility, he pushed up the pack.

With a burst of energy, Mage swiftly overtook Two Phil’s and Angel of Empire, galloping towards the finish line with unyielding determination. Crossing the wire with a length to spare, Mage secured a remarkable victory, surprising many and solidifying his status as a rising star in the world of horse racing.

Mage’s triumph was a testament to the tireless efforts and meticulous training of his dedicated connections. Their unwavering belief in his abilities, coupled with his own natural talent, propelled Mage to this remarkable achievement. The 2023 Kentucky Derby will forever be etched in the history books as the moment when Mage defied expectations and emerged as a deserving champion.

Of course, in its modern noun sense, the term ‘jockey’ is used to describe a person who rides in horse races, especially professionally. However, ‘Jockey’ was originally the diminutive, or familiar, form of ‘Jock’, which, in the North of England and Scotland, is a nickname for John, dating back to the late medieval period. For example, John Howard, First Duke of Norfolk, who was killed on Bosworth Field in 1485, while fighting for King Richard III, was known colloquially as ‘Jockey of Norfolk’. Indeed, Howard was referenced as such by William Shakespeare in his chronical play ‘Richard III’, which was written circa 1592-1594.

Aside from its use as a proper name, ‘Jockey’ was also employed generically – in the sense of ‘Tom, Dick or Harry’ – as the name of an ordinary, or subordinate, man or boy. In this respect, the term was used specifically to describe an estafette, or mounted courier, which led to the current sense circa 1670.According to John Camden Hotten, author of ‘The Slang Dictionary’, ‘jockey’ is derived from the Gipsy language, specifically from the word ‘ chuckni’, meaning ‘whip’.

‘Jockey’ was also used, in a secondary sense, to describe horse traders and other individuals with a reputation for dishonesty and so came to mean a cheat, shark or trickster. Thus, in its verb sense, ‘jockey’ came to mean to manipulate, outwit ot trick, in an effort to gain an advantage, probably pecuniary. Naturally enough, term was also used to describe the behaviour of jockeys manoeuvring for position, to gain an advantage, during a horse race.

Interestingly, and incorrectly, Guinness World Records states that the fastest time in the history of the 2,000 Guineas was the 1 minute and 35.08 seconds clocked by Mister Baileys on April 30, 1994. Trained in Middleham, North Yorkshire by Mark Johnstone – who was participating in a Classic for the first time – Mister Baileys became the first northern-trained winner of the 2,000 Guineas since Rockavon, trained by George Boyd in East Lothian, Scotland, in 1961. He did beat the previous course record, 1 minute and 35.32 seconds, set by Zafonic on May 1, 1993 but, despite the Guinness assertion, his record no longer stands.

In 2020, horse racing in Great Britain was suspended on March 18, initially until the end of April, because of the coronavirus pandemic. The suspension was subsequently extended to June 1, such that the 2,000 Guineas was run a month later than usual, on June 6, but still over the traditional course and distance, on the Rowley Mile at Newmarket. Quite why the fact has been overlooked, or excluded, by Guinness World Records is a mystery, but numerous reliable sources – including the ‘Racing Post’ and ‘Encyclopaedia Britannica’ – note that the race was won by Kameko in a time of 1 minute and 34.72 seconds, thereby setting a new course record.

Owned by Qatar Racing Limited, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden, throughout his ten-race career, by Oisin Murphy, Kameko had comfortably won the Vertem Futurity Trophy, over a mile, at Newcastle on his final start as a juvenile. Making his seasonal debut at Newmarket, Kameko was sent off 10/1 fourth-favourite behind the hitherto unbeaten Pinaturbo, but knuckled down well in the closing stages, despite drifting right, to win by a neck.

Nicknamed ‘The Run for the Roses’, due to the garland of red roses traditionally draped around the winning horse, the Kentucky Derby is the first leg of North American Triple Crown. Established in 1875, the race is run annually, on the first Saturday in May, over a mile and a quarter on dirt at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky.

The horse that still holds the record for the fastest winning time in the Kentucky Derby is Secretariat, who, in his three-year-old season, won the aforementioned Triple Crown. Bred and owned by Christopher Chenery and trained by Lucien Laurin, Secretariat was surprisingly beaten by stable companion Angle Light in his preparatory race for the Kentucky Derby, the Wood Memorial Stakes at Aqueduct in Queens, New York City, two weeks beforehand.

However, ‘Big Red’, as the horse was popularly known, was suffering from a mouth abscess on that occasion and, at Churchill Downs on May 5, 1973, any doubts about him were quickly dispelled. Sent off joint-favourite, alongside Angle Light, Secretariat was settled at the rear of the field by jockey Ron Turcotte, before taking closer order at the halfway stage. At the top of the home straight, Sham took over from the pace-setting Shecky Greene, but was soon challenged and passed by Secretariat, who took off down the outside to win by two and a half lengths, under just hands and heels riding. Our Native finished third, beaten a yawning eight lengths, and the winning time, 1:59.4, set a record that has now stood for a little over half a century.

For the uninitiated, the Lincoln Handicap, which is open to horses aged four years and upwards, is run over a straight mile on Town Moor, Doncaster in late March or early April. The Lincoln is, in fact, the first so-called ‘Heritage’ handicap of the season, nowadays worth £150,000 in guaranteed prize money, and has been the curtain-raiser for the British Flat racing season for 170 years.

Not altogether surprisingly, the Lincoln Handicap is so-called because it was inaugurated, as the Lincoln Spring Handicap Stakes, at the now-defunct Lincoln Racecourse, at Carholme, Lincolnshire, in March, 1853. The race was originally open to horses aged three years and upwards and run over a mile and a half, but was shortened to its current distance in 1855.

The Lincoln Handicap was and, to a certain extent, still is, the first leg of the so-called ‘Spring Double’, with the second leg being the Grand National, typically run a week or two later. Between the two World Wars, when ante-post betting was in its prime, the Spring Double was hugely popular with the racing public and press, reflected by the sheer weight of editorial copy devoted to the issue of landing the potentially lucrative odds on offer. At that time, the Lincoln Handicap was one of the highlights of the Flat racing season.

For all the popularity of the Lincoln Handicap, in its heyday, the Horse Racing Levy Board withdrew its subsidy from Lincoln Racecourse in 1964, forcing its closure. The following year, the race was transferred to Doncaster Racecourse, where it has been run, with one of two exceptions, ever since.