Trainer Kenny McPeek said 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) victor Mystik Dan is still a few weeks from returning to the work tab after a disappointing run in the Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1).
Concerned by back-to-back off-the-board efforts in 2024 Malibu Stakes (G1) and the Jan. 25 Pegasus, McPeek sent the Derby hero to visit renowned equine orthopedic surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital. While Mystik Dan was eating well and was active after the Pegasus, McPeek wanted to make sure the Goldencents colt was sound.
Bramlage said that Mystik Dan was in good shape, but recommended a 30-day break from training.
"In hindsight, I think I was too ambitious with him, and maybe shouldn't have gone to California because the logistics of the trip were really difficult," McPeek said. "Then he ran flat and when we took him to Gulfstream; I'm not sure that that racetrack suited him either. He came out of it, was a little jammed up and it just didn't seem like it suited him. But he's fine, and he's back to galloping. He's galloping at the Fair Grounds, where he's done well. We are going to be galloping for about two or three more weeks, and then put him back into a work routine, and then pick a next step, probably be much more conservative with him when he comes back."
Since winning the Derby, Mystik Dan ran in the other Triple Crown races, finishing second in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and eighth in the Belmont Stakes (G1), prior to a six-month break leading into the Malibu.
Owned by 4G Racing, Valley View Farm, Lance Gasaway, and Daniel Hamby III, Mystik Dan has finished in the top three in six of his 11 starts (3-2-1) with $4,211,860 in winnings. He was bred by Gasaway, Hamby, and 4G Racing.
Another of McPeek's trainees is looking to round out a successful stay in the Middle East as Rattle N Roll prepares for the Dubai World Cup (G1) April 5.
The son of Connect won the Custodian Of The Two Holy Mosques Cup (G3) Jan. 25 at King Abdulaziz Racecourse, securing his place in the Saudi Cup (G1). The lone entry from the United States in the Feb. 22 showcase, Rattle N Roll finished a distant fifth.
"He's a very consistent horse," McPeek said. "He's been a horse that's been in a good pattern for a while, and he just shipped to Dubai on Friday from Riyadh, and he settled in over there, and he's scheduled to have a work this weekend over the Meydan (Racecourse) course."
Owned by Lucky Seven Stable, Rattle N Roll was leased out to Saudi Arabian businessman Sharaf Mohammed Al Hariri for three races—the two already run and the Dubai World Cup.
Rattle N Roll was bred by St. Simon Place and has a 10-2-3 record from 25 starts. The 6-year-old chestnut, with seven graded triumphs, has earned $3,341,641 in his career.
