Trainer Kenny McPeek confirmed Nov. 7 that 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan has been officially retired. Fans at Churchill Downs will have one final chance to see the colt beneath the twin spires Nov. 8 when he parades in the paddock before the fourth race from approximately 2:05-2:30 p.m. ET.
Owned by Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby III, and Valley View Farm, Mystik Dan will retire to stud at Airdrie Stud near Midway, Ky., where he's scheduled to stand for $15,000.
The 4-year-old son of Goldencents retires with a record of 5-3-1 in 16 starts and earnings of more than $4.8 million. He had been pointed to the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) at Del Mar but was scratched the morning of the race by regulatory veterinarians as a precaution.
Along with his victory in Kentucky Derby 150, Mystik Dan captured this year's Lukas Classic (G2) and Blame (G3) stakes as well as last year's Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.
He excelled over the main track at Churchill Downs, as evidenced in the 2024 Derby, when he and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. courageously shot through a narrow opening along the rail in a difference-making second-turn bid to take the lead. He outlasted eventual Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winners Sierra Leone and Forever Young in a three-horse photo finish.
His 3-year-old season was also highlighted by a second-place finish in the Preakness Stakes (G1), the second jewel of the Triple Crown.
