Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan is pointing for the $200,000 Lake Ouachita Stakes for older horses at 1 1/16 miles May 3 at Oaklawn Park, trainer Kenny McPeek said April 13.
Mystik Dan is seeking his first victory since the 2024 Kentucky Derby, when he edged Sierra Leone by a nose in the first leg of the Triple Crown. Mystik Dan hasn't started since finishing ninth in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes (G1) at 1 1/8 miles at Gulfstream Park Jan. 25.
Following a 30-day break from training, Mystik Dan returned to the work tab March 31 at Oaklawn and has recorded two subsequent local breezes, including a five-furlong move in company Sunday morning under Robby Albarado.
"He's fit," co-owner Lance Gasaway said following Sunday's work. "If you're off only 30 days, you're not going to lose a whole lot. I think right now, we're just looking at this (Lake Ouachita). That's kind of in his wheelhouse, we think."
Mystik Dan ran three times last season at Oaklawn (all Kentucky Derby qualifying races), finishing fifth in the $300,000 Smarty Jones Stakes, winning the $800,000 Southwest Stakes (G3) and running third in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1). Mystik Dan won the Southwest by eight lengths.
Francisco Arrieta will ride Mystik Dan in the Lake Ouachita because his regular jockey, Brian Hernandez Jr., has commitments May 3 at Churchill Downs, a stakes-packed card headlined by the Kentucky Derby. The Lake Ouachita falls almost exactly one year after Mystik Dan's Kentucky Derby victory.
"If something doesn't happen, that (Lake Ouachita) is the plan," Gasaway said.
Mystik Dan worked over a fast surface Sunday morning, roughly 20 minutes after the track opened, with stablemate Relampago Verde, who, in his last start, finished seventh in the $175,000 Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T) for older horses Feb. 15 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots.
Mystik Dan was credited with five furlongs in 1:00 2/5, which ranked second of 21 times published at the distance. Mystik Dan galloped out six furlongs in 1:13.
"Just a little maintenance," said Albarado, the retired two-time Oaklawn riding champion who has regularly galloped and worked Mystik Dan the last two seasons at Oaklawn. "We try to get him consistently in (12-second furlongs) and it's easy to fit those times because he's push button."
Gasaway co-owns Mystik Dan with fellow Arkansans Brent and Sharilyn Gasaway (4G Racing), Daniel "Banks" Hamby and his brother, Scott Hamby (Valley View Farm). Lance Gasaway, 4G, and Banks Hamby also bred Mystik Dan, a 4-year-old son of Goldencents who has a 3-2-1 record from 11 lifetime starts and earnings of $4,211,860.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
