Mage wins 149th Kentucky Derby amid controversy over horse deaths

Mage, a 15-to-1 shot, won the 149th running of the Kentucky Derby by a length on Saturday.

The Kentucky Derby lost its early favorite when Forte was scratched and two more horses died, following a string of horse deaths earlier in the week at Churchill Downs, further blows to a sport already reeling from a series of doping suspensions and breakdowns.

“This is part of racing and it’s the cruel part,” Mike Repole, co-owner of Forte, said in an interview with FanDuel TV.