Mystik Dan Surprises in Sloppy Southwest Stakes

February 3rd, 2024 by Byron King

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Southwest Stakes Oaklawn Park Mystik Dan Ken McPeek Brian Hernandez Just Steel Liberal Arts Band of Gold Martha Washington Kentucky Derby horse racing

Mystik Dan and jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. are all alone at the finish of the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, winning the race by eight lengths on Feb. 3. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert has often captured the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park, winning the race six times since 2010, but this year’s Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve prep on Feb. 3 belonged to trainer Kenny McPeek – as well as the supporting Martha Washington Stakes for 3-year-old fillies on the card.

Teaming with primary rider Brian Hernandez Jr., McPeek struck with Mystik Dan in the $800,000, Grade 3 Southwest and Band of Gold in the $250,000 Martha Washington. The duo earned 20 qualifying points apiece – 3-year-old colt Mystik Dan toward the May 4 Derby and Band of Gold toward the May 3 Longines Kentucky Oaks for 3-year-olds.

The trainer has won a Preakness Stakes and Belmont Stakes but never the Kentucky Derby or the Kentucky Oaks. He has come close, running second in the 1995 Derby with Tejano Run, and has thrice trained the Kentucky Oaks runner-up: Take Charge Lady (2002), Daddys Lil Darling (2017) and subsequent Preakness Stakes winner Swiss Skydiver (2020).

McPeek will have contenders if Mystik Dan and Band of Gold perform at Churchill Downs in a few months as they did over a sloppy track Saturday at Oaklawn, though as the trainer acknowledged Saturday, those races are a long way off.

McPeek and his owners had much to celebrate on a rainy day at Oaklawn Park Saturday, capped by the performance of Mystik Dan. Patiently handled by Hernandez to sit sixth early, the colt moved up on the second turn to be fourth, then unleashed an explosive inside move in the stretch to leave Just Steel eight lengths behind him at the finish. He zipped 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.67.

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Just Steel lasted for second by a neck over show finisher Liberal Arts. There was a nine-length gap to Awesome Road in fourth, who was a nose ahead of another McPeek trainee, Common Defense, in fifth.

Favored Carbone, trained by Steve Asmussen, ran seventh and Baffert’s runner, Wynstock, was last of 12.

The second-through-fifth runners earned Derby qualifying points on a 10-6-4-2 scale.

Discounted by the betting public following two recent losses, one of which was a fifth in the Jan. 1 Smarty Jones Stakes at Oaklawn, Mystik Dan won the Southwest at 11.40-1 odds. It is his second career victory for owners Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, and Daniel Hamby III following a Nov. 12 maiden win sprinting 5 ½ furlongs at Churchill.