It was another standard day May 10 at Churchill Downs for Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan as trainer Kenny McPeek continues to debate whether or not to run the colt in the $2 million Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico Race Course May 18.
"We'll discuss it in depth tomorrow," McPeek said of the decision to run in the Preakness. Entries for the Preakness will be taken May 13. Should McPeek decide to enter the son of Goldencents in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown, he will likely leave Churchill Downs May 12 or 13.
Mystik Dan's May 11 exercise will be the telling factor for McPeek.
"Just a nice gallop, maybe stretch a little down the lane," McPeek said of the Saturday plans. "Nothing complicated, only what he wants to do."
On Friday, former jockey Robby Albarado was again aboard Mystik Dan and pleased with the colt's training. Jockey Brian Hernandez was also present but breezing some of McPeek's other horses. Despite reaching the pinnacle of his profession just a week prior by winning both the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Derby, Hernandez is still working hard to find his next star.
Your daily dose of #KentuckyDerby winner #MystikDan galloping 8 days out from the Preakness. pic.twitter.com/q7RlBp67c2
— Sean Collins (@BH_SCollins) May 10, 2024
"We got to get up and go back to work every morning," Hernandez said. "It's great to have a Derby winner. Now we just need to keep showing up every day, enjoy it, and be here for the guys we ride for. Work hard and try to find another one."
Finding another horse like Mystik Dan will be a tough task. Hernandez knew he was sitting on something special since the colt's maiden victory Nov. 12 at Churchill Downs.
"The nice thing about Mystik Dan is he's one of those rare horses that has six or seven gears to him," Hernandez said. "You can use him once, and then he'll come back to you and settle. Do it again, and he'll settle again. He's a gritty little horse. He just wants to please people and enjoy it. He's proud of the job he does."
Many watching the Kentucky Derby have pointed out that Mystik Dan appeared to get a dream trip while saving ground on the rail for the entire 1 1/4 miles. However, Hernandez believes the colt's natural ability is what allowed him to create such a perfect ride.
"Nobody is talking about it takes a really good horse and a really smart horse to get those kind of trips," Hernandez said. "It takes a rare horse to be able to sit in a pocket like that and turn off. We have trust in each other. He had trust that we were going to be able to give him that trip, and I trusted that when I needed him, he was going to be there for me. It takes a lot for horses to win a race the way he did. You just have to be proud of him. He made that trip himself."
One race in which Mystik Dan did not get the dream trip was the March 30 Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park. The winner of that race was Muth, who was ineligible to participate in the Kentucky Derby due to the Churchill Downs Inc.-imposed suspension of trainer Bob Baffert.
Muth will likely be favored in the Preakness even if Mystik Dan enters since he defeated the Derby winner by 6 1/4 lengths in Arkansas. However, Hernandez is confident they can turn the tables after his trip in the Arkansas Derby was compromised on the first turn when 2023 Street Sense Stakes (G3) winner Liberal Arts carried him wide while rank into the clubhouse turn.
"(Liberal Arts) hit us so hard, he clipped my shoulder pretty good and turned us sideways," Hernandez said. "Once he did that, we dropped way back. ...That's not (Mystik Dan's) forte. He doesn't want to be that far back. He can't make that long of a run. He's got a quick turn of foot and he's got gears to him. It's hard for a horse like him to make that long of a run. We had to let him get his feet back under him in the Arkansas Derby. Once he did, he ran a respectable race to jump up and be third."
Hernandez credits Mystik Dan's mentality for his ability to adjust to whatever scenario is thrown at him.
"That's what it takes to be a really good horse," Hernandez said. "Everybody wants to talk about how fast they are and everything else, but it's so mental, too. You have to have a horse with a really good mind that understands all his lessons and understands what you want from him."
COX to WATCH Catching Freedom Through Weekend
The Preakness field received two more possible additions May 9. Louisiana Derby (G2) third-place finisher Tuscan Gold was announced by trainer Chad Brown as scratched from the May 11 Peter Pan Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack in favor of the Preakness. Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Catching Freedom's name was also thrown into the ring by his connections.
"We're going to watch (Catching Freedom) through the weekend," trainer Brad Cox said. "We're happy with the way he came out of the (Derby) from a soundness standpoint."
Although Cox is not usually a trainer who runs a horse back on two weeks' rest, he has seen enough from the colt's training to consider the Preakness. He is cautiously considering how a start in the middle jewel may impact the remainder of Catching Freedom's season.
"It's about doing what we feel is right for the horse," Cox said. "My immediate thought after the Derby was no Preakness. As we look at the group of horses—it's a solid group—and first and foremost how he's doing. We do like what we see from him."
Should Catching Freedom skip the Preakness, the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course would be "on the table," but Cox would give more consideration to using the June 9 Matt Winn Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs as a prep for the July 20 Haskell Stakes (G1) at Monmouth Park.
