When Mystik Dan rallied up the inside to impressively prevail in the May 31 Blame Stakes (G3) at Churchill Downs, exhales could be heard from Louisville, Ky., to Lexington.
Trainer Kenny McPeek had returned the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) hero back to the winner's circle for the first time since he was draped in roses. And Airdrie Stud, where the son of Goldencents will stand stud at the conclusion of his racing career, received vindication that its investment will be viewed as more than just a one-hit wonder.
Mystik Dan will seek to further enhance his reputation when he tackles one of the most talented fields assembled this year in the $1 million Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) June 28 under the twin spires. The bay colt has a proven affinity for Churchill Downs, with three victories from four starts there. To date, he has banked more than $4.4 million for owners Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby III, and Valley View Farm.
His victory in the Blame, accomplished in stakes-record time (1:48.45 for 1 1/8 miles), put Mystik Dan in rare company. Since California Chrome turned the trick at age 5 in 2016, Mystik Dan became only the second Kentucky Derby winner to capture a race as a 4-year-old or up. And the other horse to do so, Mandaloun , did not reach the wire first in the Derby, but was put up following the disqualification of Medina Spirit for a failed postrace test.
Mystik Dan landed on the radar of Airdrie's Bret Jones before his nose triumph over Sierra Leone in the Kentucky Derby. Out of the Colonel John mare Ma'am, Mystik Dan had earned his maiden win by going 5 1/2 furlongs in a flashy 1:03.27, winning by 7 3/4 lengths and displaying brilliance as a 2-year-old. At 3, he crushed a field of 10 other sophomores in taking the Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park by eight lengths. The Blame victory this year serves to deepen his portfolio.
"It's extremely important and impressive to carry form three years in a row," Jones said. "There aren't a lot of horses lately that can brag about that. His race in the Blame helps everyone recognize that he has always been a genuine talent and not just a one-race success. It definitely adds to the story. Mystik Dan not only has done it at 2, 3, and 4, but his speed numbers have improved as he's gotten older. He's coming off the two fastest races he's run."
In his race immediately preceding the Blame, Mystik Dan ran second by a nose to 2023 Pennsylvania Derby (G1) winner Saudi Crown in the Lake Ouachita Stakes at Oaklawn. That represented his best effort since he checked in second behind Seize the Grey in the Preakness Stakes (G1) last year.
Mystik Dan wound up running in all three Triple Crown events, and a turn back in distance to seven furlongs and a journey out to California for the Dec. 26 Malibu Stakes (G1) did not produce the hoped-for results. But now, Mystik Dan is poised to prove he is among the best older horses in training in an especially strong season for that division.
He will need to be in top form for the Foster, where the water again deepens against world-class competition. Other expected runners include 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone, Dubai World Cup (G1) victor Hit Show, Churchill Downs Stakes (G1) hero Mindframe, and recent grade 2 winners First Mission and Skippylongstocking.
McPeek is projecting confidence that his charge is peaking at the right time. He has compared Mystik Dan favorably to a very fine graduate of his program, Harlan's Holiday, who is the great-grandfather of Mystik Dan through multiple leading sire Into Mischief and Goldencents.
"I trained Harlan's Holiday," noted the trainer of another star runner who began his stallion career at Airdrie, "and Mystik Dan is every bit as good or better than Harlan's Holiday. He's exceptionally balanced and athletic; he's got great speed, and he stays.
"There is quite a bit of satisfaction that we've been able to get him back to top form. He's run faster this year than he did at 3. It's a testament to him. He's just a really nice horse. He's always been fantastic to be around, and as you'd expect, he's a little bigger and stronger as a 4-year-old. He's tough, and I'm excited to run him in the Foster. He will definitely be formidable."
The ultimate goal for Mystik Dan this season is the Breeders' Cup World Championships at Del Mar, and as a Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win & You're In race, the Foster could ensure a fees-paid berth in the Breeders' Cup Classic. He is expected to begin his stallion career at Airdrie in 2026.
Besides his impressive sire line, Mystik Dan is the first foal out of Ma'am, and he hails from the same female family as grade 1 winners Siphonic, Laragh, and multiple graded stakes winner and sire Summer Front. Those will be selling points when he begins that stallion career, but first, beginning Saturday, the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner will get a chance to add some more racing accomplishments.
