4 Days After Improbable Feat, Kentucky Derby Winning Jockey Receives Massive Honor From New York Yankees

The 2023 Kentucky Derby was full of suspense from beginning to end. Forte, who had been widely expected to win the event, bowed out early on race day, giving 17-1 underdog Mage a shot at the Run for the Roses. It was a thrilling Derby for horse racing fans, and jockey Javier Castellano may be justifiably happy about his win with Mage. However, the Derby winner’s jockey is currently off the track for some baseball.

After Javier Castellano won the Kentucky Derby for the first time, he was invited to the Oakland Athletics’ game against the New York Yankees, where he threw the ceremonial first pitch. The jockey tweeted a picture of himself from the Yankees Stadium, and the official Kentucky Derby account included the MLB club in their response.

Pitching just like a Yankees player

Traditionally, before a baseball game begins, the special guest of honor tosses out the first pitch to signal the conclusion of the pregame festivities and the beginning of the game. Following his historic victory in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, Javier Castellano was asked to perform the honors in New York’s Yankee Stadium. All of this occurred before the New York Yankees and Oakland Athletics baseball game. There was a big crowd since this was an East vs. West showdown, and the Yankees didn’t want to lose at home after dominating the Athletics the night before at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

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In his tweet, the jockey wrote, “Ready to throw out the first pitch at the Yankee game @Yankees.” The official Kentucky Derby Twitter account also replied to this post, saying, “Take care of our #KyDerby winning jockey @Yankees”. The jockey was seen getting ready to throw while wearing a Yankees jersey and a Kentucky Derby cap. Post that, Castellano caught an exciting baseball game in which the Yankees won by a score of 10-5 against the Athletics.

What’s more for the Kentucky Derby winner in 2023?

The jockey has earned a break from horse racing. Javier Castellano is doing well, with 31,235 starts, 5,648 victories, and $382,401,063 in earnings to date. Mage, ridden by the jockey, was a long shot to win the Derby at 17-1 odds, but the world was startled when the horse won at lightning speed around the final bend.

The Derby victor will now have his sights set on the upcoming Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes, the other two legs of the Triple Crown. Since Justify’s historic victory in 2018, the equestrian world has been waiting patiently for the next potential Triple Crown champion.

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Javier Castellano deserved this time off from the track. He can now approach the next two legs of the Triple Crown with Mage with a clear head and the potential to once again astonish the world.