Mage is going to the Preakness, Pletcher Suspended for Forte Failed Drug Test

The Kentucky Derby winner will embark on a quest to capture the Triple Crown. After training this week at Churchill Downs, Mage is shipping to Pimlico for the 148th running of the Preakness Stakes.

“I’m very excited,” said Ramiro Restrepo, one of the owners of Mage. “He’s had a magnificent week of training. (Trainer) Gustavo (Delgado) is really pleased and over the moon with how he’s come back. He’s shown all the positive signs, so it’s on to Baltimore and crab cakes. Here we come.”

This week Mage galloped multiple times beneath the Twin Spires after capturing the 149th edition of the Kentucky Derby. The 3-year-old out of Good Magic came from the back of the pack to charge down the stretch six-wide and overtake Two Phil’s for a one-length victory at 15-1 odds.

Mage is the first unquestioned winner of the Kentucky Derby to chase a Triple Crown at the Preakness Stakes since Justify in 2018. Country House did not run in the Preakness after winning via DQ in 2019. The 2020 schedule was altered by the pandemic. Medina Spirit failed a drug test the following year and Rich Strike opted out of the Preakness in 2022. We also recently learned that Eric Reed will no longer train Rich Strike a week after the Derby winner lost at Churchill Downs and ownership failed to reach an agreement to keep Reed on the team.

Mage is just the third horse to ever win the Kentucky Derby after not racing as a two-year-old.

The Preakness Stakes is just a tad shorter than the Derby at 1 3/16 miles. Bruno Mars is the featured infield entertainment for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Post time is at 6:50 pm EST and you can catch all of the action on NBC.

Todd Pletcher Suspended Following Failed Forte Drug Test

The last time Mage lost, it was to Forte. The Kentucky Derby favorite this time last week, Forte was scratched by Kentucky Horse Racing Commission vets on the day of the race. The bruise will sideline the horse for the Preakness Stakes. Since that news broke, more controversial news has arose surrounding the horse.

The New York Times reported Forte failed a post-race drug test for an anti-inflammatory after it won its first graded stakes in September at Saratoga. Connections to the horse used procedural delays to push back the ruling. On Thursday New York racing stewards officially disqualified Forte’s Hopeful Stakes victory. Todd Pletcher received a 10-day suspension and a $1,000 fine.

“Forte came into our care on March 25, 2022, and he has never been prescribed or administered meloxicam,” Pletcher said. “We did an internal investigation and could not find an employee who had used the drug.”

Mike Repole, a charismatic, well-known owner in the horse racing business, said they will fight the disqualification in court.

“I’ve spent $20 million buying horses. I’ll spend $20 million fighting it in court,” Repole said, according to Bloodhorse.

“You talk about epic incompetence, this defines epic incompetence,” he added. “This renegade bullying needs to stop.”

The drug meloxicam is regularly used by humans but not permitted at all for use in thoroughbreds. The failed drug test was the result of a very small amount of the drug found in Forte’s system. It would have had no impact on the performance of Forte on race day. A chemist from LSU told Bloodhorse it was likely the result of contamination.