The 2023 edition of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve was an unforgettable one, as Mage, making only the fourth start of his career, came from far off the pace, rallied past horses wide on the turn and into the lane, and then caught Two Phil's in deep stretch to win the run for the roses by a length.

Read what the trainers and jockeys who competed in the first jewel of the Triple Crown had to say about the 1 1/4-mile classic race, the winner's performance, and how their horses fared.

"He's a little horse with a big heart. It was the dream trip for any jockey."

-Javier Castellano, rider of winner  Mage

“I’m so thankful for the opportunity. The whole team gave me the opportunity to ride this horse in the biggest race in the world. I had a lot of confidence in myself. I thought this year would be the year. This horse was unbelievable today.”

-Javier Castellano, jockey of Mage

 “It’s an amazing feeling. I have my entire family here. It’s such an amazing feeling. Sometimes you have to follow your intuitions and that’s what I did with this horse. I felt so confident going into this race, because my dad was the trainer and he was telling me step by step what he was doing with the horse. It was a masterpiece. Everything went according to plan. This is the dream .”

-Gustavo Delgado Jr., owner and assistant trainer of Mage

Mage and Javier Castellano in the winner's circle. (Evers/Eclipse Sportswire)

“In the turn, the hole opened up and I said I can’t wait. He proved he is a world-class horse today.”

-Jareth Loveberry, rider of runner-up Two Phil’s

“Man, he tried so hard and ran his heart out. I’m so proud of this horse and everyone involved. He ran an incredible race.”

-Larry Rivelli, trainer of Two Phil’s

“He ran great. I had a good trip. I was able to get myself behind the winner turning for home and we definitely had a great chance to win.”

-Flavien Prat, jockey of third-place finisher Angel of Empire

 “Angel of Empire ran well. It was a hot pace. We had a little bit of excitement down the lane. We were close, but we come here to win it, so I’m a little disappointed. Overall, I'm very happy with the horses’ performances. Off to Preakness with somebody. We have First Mission. This is demanding. I don’t know if I’ll run any of these horses back in two weeks."

- Brad Cox, trainer of third-place finisher Angel of Empire, fifth-place finisher Hit Show, 16th place Verifying, and 17th place Jace’s Road 

"It was a big step for him. He responded to everything I asked him to do. It was a good race for him.”

-Joel Rosario, jockey of fourth-place finisher Disarm 

"He faced some of the best 3-year-olds in the country. Obviously, I was hoping for a better finish today. I loved that he continued on through it all. You put 18 in there, there was a lot of contact and stuff like that. He took a whole lot of dirt on the backside. You could tell it was a little confusing to him but he stayed on well."

- Steve Asmussen, trainer of Disarm 

"I had a dream trip. My horse ran really well he just got beat by better horses."

- Manny Franco, jockey of fifth-place finisher Hit Show 

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"He didn’t break as fast as last time but I was able to put him on the inside and save ground. Gradually, we gained position on the final turn. I was in the best spot to make a move, he stayed on but didn’t have the speed to make it closer late."

- Christophe Lemaire, jockey of sixth-place finisher Derma Sotogake

“Tapit Trice did what he always does – he broke slow and then he had to check a couple of times heading into the first turn. When it came time he couldn’t get going well enough. We’re thinking Belmont. Kingsbarns ran as far as he could and as hard as he could, but the half mile (:45.73) was a little too fast for him and he just couldn’t keep up."

-Todd Pletcher, trainer of seventh-place finisher Tapit Trice and 14th-place finisher Kingsbarns 

“He was in a pretty good spot early but just didn’t have the late kick he needed.”

-Ben Colebrook, rider of eighth-place finisher Raise Cain

“My horse ran good today. I think I had one of the best trips in the race. He saved ground on the first turn and laying fourth or fifth. On the turn for home, I moved into third and he got a little tired.”

-Junior Alvarado, jockey of ninth-place finisher Rocket Can 

“I think we’ll point to the Belmont after this. He was a little up against it today but we’ll come back to fight another day.”

-Ken McPeek, trainer of 11-place finisher Sun Thunder 

“It wasn’t our day. The most important thing is the horse came out of it OK.”

-Tim Yakteen, trainer of 13th-place finisher Reincarnate

"He made us proud. We didn’t the result we wanted, but I knew we were up against it when I saw how wide he was in both turns. He came back very well. He’s happy. We’ll get them down the road."

- Ron Moquett, trainer of 15th place King Russell