Goldencents’s Mystik Dan Completes Oaks/Derby Sweep For McPeek, Hernandez, Jr.

[Wandering Eyes]

When giving a debrief while still basking in the afterglow of his victory in the GI Kentucky Oaks with 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna), trainer Ken McPeek pondered out loud: 'An Oaks-Derby double?' before making the sign of the cross to the heavens. “I think we've got a good chance,” he said. “This horse has been training super, and I think the inside draw is going to help him. Brian is a fantastic young man. He can ride the same kind of race.” Sometimes dreams do come true. For the first time since Ben Jones accomplished the feat in 1952, McPeek can boast of holding both the Oaks trophy and the GI Kentucky Derby trophy after MYSTIK DAN (c, 3, Goldencents–Ma'am, by Colonel John) slipped through underneath a tiring pacesetter Track Phantom (Quality Road) approaching the quarter pole and held on for dear life to win the 150th Run for the Roses. 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) was consigned to a wide run into the stretch and hooked up with Japan's outstanding Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}) for the bulk of the run home. The two raced shoulder to shoulder–quite literally–exchanging light bumps on several occasions, but nothing that got the attention of the stewards. Sierra Leone and Forever Young were taking plenty of ground off the eventual winner inside the final sixteenth of a mile, but they couldn't quite seal the deal, and Sierra Leone got just the better of the bobber to earn second. Catching Freedom (Constitution) made an inside run into the stretch and was gaining, but never looked a serious threat in fourth. Japan Road to the Kentucky Derby winner T O Password (Jpn) (Copano Rickey {Jpn}) got home well for fifth. Lifetime Record: 7-3-1-1. O-Lance Gasaway, 4G Racing LLC and Valley View Farm LLC; B-Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby & 4G Racing LLC (KY); T-Ken McPeek.

 

#3 Mystik Dan takes the 150th Kentucky Derby! #KentuckyDerby150 #KYDerby150

#TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/hYbi8AghlB

— TwinSpires Racing (@TwinSpires) May 4, 2024

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