Mystik Dan stuns in Southwest, adds 20 Kentucky Derby points
Hot Springs, Ark.
A little bit of experience and a lucky chance to get to the inside helped Mystik Dan (11-1) turn in an impressive performance to stamp himself a Kentucky Derby contender in Saturday’s Grade 3, $800,000 Southwest Stakes at soggy Oaklawn.
The son of Goldencents, owned by his breeders Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing and Daniel Hamby III, slipped behind several front-runners early in the 1 1/16th-mile race and slid to the rail under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. before exploding through an opening turning for home en route to an eight-length win over Just Steel in 1:43.67 over a sloppy track.
“He got away in good order, and I was able to save ground around both turns,” said Hernandez, who was aboard for a fifth-place finish in the Smarty Jones stakes four weeks ago at a mile. “When I asked him around the second turn, he responded. We had to wait for a hole to open up, but when it did, he just shot through it. This was his second time around two turns, and he’s learned his lessons well.”
“We left it up to Brian,” trainer Kenny McPeek said. “You can’t predict all that. But he needed to learn how to rate. He needed to learn how to settle off horses and maintain that late punch, and we’ve been doing that in the morning every day.”
Just Steel did not get the same ground-saving trip as the winner despite breaking just one post farther outside in the gate. Instead, the son of Justify rushed to the lead at the quarter pole from the four path under jockey Ramon Vasquez only to see Mystik Dan skip past him on the inside in the stretch.
Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas took solace in the time of year for Just Steel’s unlucky trip.
“I might not have had him as tight as I’d have liked for today, but it’s early in the year,” Lukas said. “I don’t want to have him run his best race in February.”
Liberal Arts finished a neck behind Just Steel in third while 9-5 favorite Carbone faded to seventh in the field of 12.
Mystik Dan paid $24.80, $14.20 and $8.80 in the field of 11, which was trimmed with the scratch of morning-line favorite Maycocks Bay, who spiked a fever Friday.
Mystik Dan earned 20 points towards eligibility in the Kentucky Derby and now has 21 overall points. McPeek said they are likely to skip the Rebel Stakes (G2) on Feb. 24 and wait for the Arkansas Derby (G1) on March 20.
“I’ve run him back too quick, and it’s kicked me” McPeek said. “So, I don’t think we need to do that. We just need to be patient and wait. We’ve got plenty of time and he’s a fit horse. And if we go into the Arkansas Derby, they’re going to have run their tail off to beat us.”