Pimlico: Pyrenees, Mystic Lake win undercard stakes

Blue Heaven Farm’s Pyrenees, taking a three-race win streak into his stakes debut, made it four in a row by running down favored Kingsbarns in deep stretch and going on for a thrilling three-quarter-length triumph in Friday's Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special at Pimlico.

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Pyrenees ($12.20), named for the mountain range on the border of France and Spain, gave trainer Cherie DeVaux her third stakes win of the program following Shotgun Hottie in the listed $100,000 Allaire du Pont Distaff and She Feels Pretty in the $100,000 Hilltop sprinting on turf.

A 4-year-old son of top sire Into Mischief, Pyrenees was ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., who will attempt to repeat the performance while navigating the same distance in Saturday’s 149th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, aboard Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan.

The winning time was 1:57.73 over a fast main track.

Harlocap fended off 3-5 favorite and multiple graded-stakes winner Kingsbarns for a half-mile through splits of 24.60 and 50.26 seconds, with Royal Ship following in the clear in third and Hernandez settled on Pyrenees along the rail in fourth. Kingsbarns was finally able to stick a nose in front after six furlongs went in 1:15.57, but Pyrenees was beginning to roll on the far outside and came with a steady run through the stretch to catch Kingsbarns approaching the wire.

Kingsbarns was second, 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Harlocap, who was 1 ¼ lengths better than multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Red Route One in fourth. Be Better, Royal Ship and Double Crown completed the order of finish. Time for Trouble was scratched.

Hernandez has been aboard for the entirety of Pyrenees’ win streak, which began with a mid-December maiden special weight triumph over older horses at Fair Grounds, his fifth career start. This year they won an open allowance Jan. 27 at Fair Grounds, also going 1 1/16 miles, and captured a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance April 12 at Keeneland in his Pimlico Special tune-up.

Mystic Lake wins Miss Preakness impressively

C2 Racing Stable and Stefania Farms’ Mystic Lake, already a two-time stakes winner, earned her first graded credentials with an impressive front-running 4 1/2-length victory in Friday’s $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The 39th running of the six-furlong Miss Preakness for 3-year-old fillies was the third of six stakes, three graded, worth $1 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Day program headlined by the 100th edition of the 1 1/8-mile fixture for sophomore fillies.

Mystic Lake turned for home in front after going a half mile in 46.44 seconds and quickly gained separation, powering through the stretch to win in 1:11.40 over a fast main track. Youalmosthadme, twice graded-stakes placed sent off at 2-1, got up for second, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Discreet Ops, who edged Cap Classique by a nose for fourth.

Lady Moscato, Belle’s Blue Bell, Value Area, Carmelina, Launch, Miss Harriett, Closing Act and Let Them Watch completed the order of finish.

Mystic Lake earned her third win from five starts this year, all in stakes, following victories in the Jan. 13 Gasparilla and March 24 Sophomore Fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs. Second as the favorite in the six-furlong Star Shoot over Woodbine’s all-weather surface April 27 in her prior start, she placed twice in stakes at two including the 1 1/16-mile Mazarine (G3) last fall.