Confidence Game, the horse with the West Hartford connection, finishes 10th in the Kentucky Derby

Michael Gualtieri had a good time at the Kentucky Derby Saturday, even though his horse Confidence Game finished 10th.

Gualtieri, of West Hartford, is one of the 30 owners of the dark bay colt as part of Don’t Tell My Wife stables.

“The horse got through the race OK,” Gualtieri said Sunday. “We’re going to wait for the vet to check him out completely before making a decision on what to do next.

“He had the rail and was in fourth place 75 percent of the race. He just couldn’t kick it in. They have good days and bad days, just like us. He had an opening but … there’s a lot of really good horses in the race.”

Confidence Game went off from the fourth post position with 21-1 odds. Mage, a 15-1 shot ridden by jockey Javier Castellano who had never won a Derby in 15 previous attempts, won the race in only his fourth start.

Confidence Game, trained by Keith Desormeaux and ridden by James Graham, hadn’t raced since he won the Rebel Stakes Feb. 25 to qualify for the Derby.

Gualtieri said the vet was expected to check Confidence Game out Sunday and then Desormeaux would make a decision if he would run him in the Preakness May 20.

“If he’s healthy, I think Keith still has his eyes on either going to Baltimore or New York City, or either/or,” Gualtieri said. “If he needs the rest, he might skip the Preakness and go right to Belmont. It’s kind of up in the air right now.”

It’s the second time that Gualtieri, who owns ProCourier, a same-day delivery service in West Hartford, has been to the Derby in the last five years. In 2018, My Boy Jack, a horse he co-owned, finished fifth.

“I did feel like this horse had a much better shot,” Gualtieri said. “Confidence Game finished 10th and My Boy Jack finished fifth so based on the results, you would say 2018 was better. I just think he didn’t have the gas at the end of the race, but he’s shown in the past that he has.

“Keith’s very confident he can compete in the other two big races. That’s the part that’s not decided yet.”