Airdrie Stud has announced that Mystik Dan, winner of the 150th Kentucky Derby (G1) in 2024, is set to stand stud at the Midway, Ky. farm upon the conclusion of his racing career. A three-time graded stakes winner with earnings to date of more than $4.4 million, Mystik Dan has been campaigned throughout his career by leading trainer Kenny McPeek for the ownership group of Lance Gasaway, 4 G Racing, Daniel Hamby III, and Valley View Farm.
One of the leading colts of his generation in each of his three seasons in training, Mystik Dan first gained attention with an emphatic 7 3/4-length 2-year-old maiden victory going 5 1/2 furlongs at Churchill Downs. His Kentucky Derby victory came over one of the strongest fields in recent memory when besting grade 1 stars Sierra Leone, Forever Young, Dornoch , and Fierceness, among others, and highlighted a 3-year-old campaign that also included an eight-length win in Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes (G3), as well as second- and third-place finishes in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and Arkansas Derby (G1), respectively.
In his most recent start, the 4-year-old returned to the Churchill Downs winner's circle with an emphatic victory in the May 31 Blame Stakes (G3), setting a new stakes record in the process. Plans call for the colt to make his next start in the June 28 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) with a season-ending goal of the Breeders' Cup World Championships in Del Mar. The first foal out of his owner's four-time winning Colonel John mare, Ma'am, Mystik Dan's immediate female family includes grade 1 winners Laragh and Siphonic as well as the multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Summer Front.
"His historic win in the Kentucky Derby will ensure that name recognition will never be an issue for Mystik Dan," said Airdrie's Bret Jones, "but what we really want is for breeders to focus on some of the other performances that showcase how genuinely talented he has always been. His win at 2, where he opens up seven lengths going 5 1/2 furlongs and runs a near 100 Beyer is as impressive as any juvenile race you'll ever see. And it's that same brilliant turn of foot that he showed when winning the Southwest by eight lengths that allowed him to open up a clear advantage in the Derby stretch despite being close to a pace that sent every other forwardly placed horse to the back of the field. He's shown that he can train on with a stakes-record performance in the Blame, and I know Kenny really believes he's poised to be one of the best older horses in the country this year. He's an exceptional talent with that unmistakable Into Mischief look, and we couldn't be more grateful to his great ownership team for the opportunity to stand their Kentucky Derby winner."
"I trained a great sire in Harlan's Holiday," said trainer Kenny McPeek, "And I promise you Mystik Dan is every bit as good or better than Harlan's Holiday ever was. Honestly, he reminds me of Northern Dancer in the way he's made and the way he moves—he's just exceptionally balanced and athletic. He's got such great speed and he stays. Those are traits everyone wants in a racehorse. I think he's got every chance to be a really top stallion and we're going to be breeding and buying a lot of them."
"Mystik Dan has given us the ride of a lifetime and we sure think he's going to give us some more great days before it's all said and done," added co-owner Lance Gasaway. "He's such a calm and personable horse- always such a pleasure to be around. We are going to miss him when the time comes, but we are honored to partner with Airdrie Stud and very excited for what the future holds."
