Mage crosses finish 1st in Kentucky Derby amid 7th death

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Two more horses died in the hours before Mage crossed the finish line first in the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, making it seven in all and casting a shadow over the 149th edition of the world's most famous race.

Mage had only one victory before covering 1 1/4 miles in 2:01.57 under jockey Javier Castellano.

Two Phil's and Angel of Empire followed Mage to the finish line.

___

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE.

Two more horses died, making it seven in all, before the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, and early favorite Forte was scratched with an injury in another series of blows to a sport already reeling from 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.

Chloe’s Dream, a 3-year-old gelding, and Freezing Point, a 3-year-old colt, were injured in their races on the Derby undercard, becoming the sixth and seventh horses to have died at Churchill Downs in recent days. Forte was the fifth scratch from the Derby in the run-up to the $3 million race for 3-year-olds.

The string of horse deaths cast a pall for some Derby-goers on a mostly cloudy and warm day.

"It’s concerning, and I hope they’re quickly trying the best they can to correct whatever’s going on,” said Michael Freeze, who along with his friend dressed up as jockeys. “They need to do whatever is best for the horses, an...