One Year Later, Mystik Dan Will Look to Return to the Winner’s Circle

[Wandering Eyes]

It was on the first Saturday in May, 2024 that Mystik Dan (Goldencents) ran the race of his life to win the GI Kentucky Derby by a nose over Sierra Leone (Gun Runner). One year and four starts later, he hasn't won again, but will hope to end the losing streak on the anniversary of his greatest triumph.

On Saturday, Mystik Dan will take on seven others in the Lake Ouachita S. at Oaklawn Park. It will be his first start since he was beaten 20 3/4 lengths in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational Jan. 25 at Gulfstream Park.

The Oaklawn race is scheduled to go off about 18 minutes after the Derby.

In what was otherwise a magical year for trainer Kenny McPeek, about the only thing that went wrong was that Mystik Dan never ran back to his Derby performance. The next stop was the GI Preakness Stakes, where he finished second, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths. From there, it just unraveled. He was eighth beaten 15 3/4 lengths in the GI Belmont S. and then finished sixth in the GI Malibu S., which he lost by 11 1/4 lengths.

It would only get worse. In his first start as a 4-year-old, he finished ninth in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational, 20 3/4 lengths behind the winner, White Abarrio (Race Day).

McPeek said blame him and not the horse.

“I made some mistakes bringing him back,” he said. “I shouldn't have taken him to California [for the Malibu]. In hindsight, I shouldn't have trucked him out there. I should have waited for another spot. Then we thought we had him good to go for the Pegasus. It was too much too soon. I might have mismanaged him a bit, if you want to call it that. I'm more critical of myself than anyone else.”

McPeek went against conventional wisdom and ran Mystik Dan in all three Triple Crown races. It worked out fine for the Derby and there was nothing wrong with his performance in the Preakness. But he looked like a spent horse in the Belmont.

“Was he taxed by the third one? Probably,” McPeek said. “We thought he was okay going into the Belmont, but he didn't handle the track at Saratoga. I don't think that's the case, that the Triple Crown took too much out of him. Every horse is different. You can't blame it completely on the Triple Crown.”

McPeek's plan this year is to try to pick some fairly easy spots to see where he's at with Mystik Dan. If he fares well in races like the Lake Ouachita, he will start looking for tougher challenges.

“I need to 'step-ladder' him,” he said.  “We need to start at the bottom and work our way back up. I think this race is a really good stepping stone. But it's not such an easy race with Saudi Crown in there. But this is a race he could and should win. Then we'll take it from there. He's healthy and doing well. He's doing super. He looks great, has been working great and doing everything right.

“It's never easy,” McPeek said. “For a horse to transition from two to three to four is hard. I wish I could undo some decisions I made. At that time, I thought they were the right moves. He's not the first Kentucky Derby winner that struggled coming back after the Derby and a tough Triple Crown series.”

Mystik Dan will not have the services of regular rider Brian Hernandez, Jr., who will be riding Burnham Square (Liam's Map) in the Derby for trainer Ian Wilkes.

Francisco Arrieta will substitute for Hernandez.

“Francisco is a good rider and he's the leading rider down there at Oaklawn,” McPeek said. “He's hitting on all cylinders and I know he's excited about getting on him.”

McPeek is not going to rush things and said he will also consider entering Mystik Dan in a turf race. But first he's got to show that he's the same horse who won one of the more thrilling Derbies in history.

“I'd like to think he can work his way back up,” McPeek said. “He hasn't beaten older horses and he has to do that. If he wins this race, the next spot will probably be a Grade II or Grade III somewhere. We're going to need him to take us there. We certainly know he has the talent. He just has to put it all together.”

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