Mage

The Kentucky Derby winner followed up his incredible victory with a dull third-place effort two weeks later in the Preakness Stakes. He took a two-month break and came back to action with a second-place effort in the Haskell Stakes (G1). Despite the loss, the connections must feel confident with the effort since it was largely understood that Mage was not fully back to 100% going into that race. The Triple Crown trail can take a lot out of a horse and a break after the Preakness was necessary. His typical off-the-pace running style has not been a particularly effective one at Saratoga this meet, but if he gets some early pace, he will deliver with his patently late run. Despite winning the Kentucky Derby, it is possible that Mage has yet to run his best race.