Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan heading to Preakness.
Mystik Dan, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby by a nose in the race's closest finish in more than a half-century, is heading to the Preakness next weekend after all, keeping alive the chance of another Triple Crown winner.Trainer Kenny McPeek announced the decision Saturday after speaking with owners and weighing the pros and cons of racing his horse again on a short, two-week turnaround. He initially expressed concern about that timeframe after Mystik Dan ran poorly under the same circumstances in November.
But he liked enough of what he saw in training to take a chance.
"All systems go," McPeek said Saturday. "The horse is doing fantastic."
The possibility of Mystik Dan, who finished just ahead of Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the 1¼-mile race at Churchill Downs last weekend thanks to a perfect, rail-skimming ride by jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., not going to the Preakness next Saturday raised questions about the status of the prestigious race. Twice in the previous four years, the Derby winner did not run -- a product of various circumstances.
But the lure of going to Baltimore was too much to pass up for McPeek, who won the pandemic-delayed 2020 Preakness with filly Swiss Skydiver by beating Derby champion Authentic.
No one has won both the Derby and Preakness since the last Triple Crown champion, Justify in 2018 for Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Mystik Dan doing so would set up a first: a Triple Crown on the line at Saratoga Race Course, where the Belmont is being held for the next two years while the race's longtime home on Long Island is being torn down and rebuilt as part of a massive $455 million reconstruction project.
But Mystik Dan might not be the Preakness favorite. That distinction likely belongs to Muth, one of two horses being brought by Baffert, who was again not allowed to enter horses in the Derby because of a ban on him by Churchill Downs caused by Medina Spirit failing a drug test after finishing first in the race in 2021.
The only other horse from the Derby expected to run in the Preakness is 17th-place finisher Just Steel, trained by 88-year-old Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas.
Mystik Dan has arrived at Pimlico for the Preakness on Saturday!
The official Preakness 149 Post Position Draw!
Assistant Blake Cox discusses #3 Catching Freedom.
Not even the fog could stop Justify from winning the Preakness on his way to becoming the 13th horse to win the Triple Crown.
Preakness weather: Rain returns to the Saturday forecast.
Rain is in the weather forecast for Baltimore, including on Saturday for the Preakness.The National Weather Service forecast calls for a 60 percent chance of showers Saturday, mainly after 2 p.m. EDT, with a high near 73. That 60 percent chance of precipitation continues into Saturday night, mainly before 8 p.m.
Rain also is in the forecast for the next few days.
Showers are likely Wednesday, with an 80 percent chance and a high near 67. The likelihood of precipitation falls to 30 percent Wednesday night.
Thursday has a slight percent chance of showers, 20 percent, with a high near 76.
Friday looks like the best day of the week, weather-wise, with the forecast calling for a partly sunny day and a high near 80. But rain could return Friday night, with a 30 percent chance of precipitation.
National Treasure’s duel down the stretch to win the 2023 Preakness Stakes.
Black-Eyed Susan fair odds: Best bet of weekend is here.
Corposo does not have the type of running lines that people like to bet in graded-stakes races.With just a maiden win to her credit, she was beaten by eight lengths in her stakes debut and now ships east to tackle the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on Friday at Pimlico.
What she lacks in class against five stakes winners in the field of eight she makes up for in speed, as she is the fastest horse in the race, according to the Ragozin Sheets. And her pedigree does not suggest any problems with the stretch out to 1 1/8 miles.
And it's not like the Santa Anita Oaks (G2) was that bad, anyway. Sure, she was beaten by a city block, but the winner ran off the screen, and she was only a half-length out of second with it another eight lengths back to fourth. She has speed to her inside, and the second and third choices on the morning line both are carrying more weight than she is.
Speaking of those second and third choices, Recharge and Lemon Muffin, respectively, neither will offer any value. I'll make up for being on the chalk "on top" by completely tossing the next two choices from all wagers.
Lemon Muffin never has run fast enough to contend here and is regressing anyway while returning on just two weeks rest. I don't love the post for Recharge considering the other speed to her outside, and I just can't see playing her at 7-2 (morning line) to stick around for even a piece.
Corposo is a strong single for me in multi-race wagers. In the Black-Eyed Susan itself, I'll be prepared to make a win bet if the morning line holds. I'll also check will-pays, tossing Lemon Muffin and Recharge and using Call Another Play, Gun Song and Whocouldaskformo in a key box with Corposo keyed on top.
Corposo Black-Eyed Susan Black-Eyed Susan (2024)
Article is from horse racing nation
Follow these 5 on Preakness weekend.
Catching Freedom hasn’t run a bad race in six starts, most notably winning the Louisiana Derby (G2) before rallying to finish fourth by 1 3/4 lengths in the Kentucky Derby. He’ll continue his Triple Crown journey with a start in Saturday’s 13th race at Pimlico, the Preakness, post time 7:01 p.m. EDT.Catching Freedom stacks up well against the Preakness field from a Brisnet speed rating perspective, especially following the scratch of morning line favorite Muth due to a fever. But there isn’t much speed in the Preakness field, so we’ll have to see if Catching Freedom, a pure stretch runner, can overcome a potentially slow pace.
Disarm was coming to hand quite nicely as a 3-year-old last summer. After finishing fourth in the Kentucky Derby, he won the Matt Winn (G3), finished a close fourth against a deep field in the Jim Dandy (G2) and then ran second by a length in the Travers (G1).
Unfortunately, Disarm went to the sidelines after the Travers, but he returned to serious training earlier this year and will make his 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s fourth race at Churchill Downs, a 1 1/16-mile $80,000 allowance optional claimer (post time 7:26 p.m.). Disarm towers over the field from a Brisnet Speed rating standpoint and enters off a bullet five-furlong workout in 59.8 seconds at Churchill Downs, so the stage is set for a winning comeback.
In Theory was a sharp debut winner sprinting six furlongs against maiden special weight competition at Santa Anta, leading all the way to beat older rivals by three lengths. She subsequently faced fellow 3-year-olds in a 6 1/2-furlong allowance over the same track; after stumbling at the start and recovering to launch a challenge, she flattened out to finish third by three lengths.
Now In Theory is stretching out in distance for Friday’s fifth race at Santa Anita, a one-mile $150,000 allowance optional claimer, post time 6:07 p.m. EDT. If she breaks cleanly and returns to pacesetting tactics, the Bob Baffert trainee has the potential to challenge for victory.
When Mystik Dan gets his trip, he’s one of the best 3-year-olds in the country. He saved ground every step of the way to dominate the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn by eight lengths, and two weeks ago he employed the same tactics to win the Kentucky Derby by a nose.
Can Mystik Dan work out another perfect trip in the Preakness? He’ll break from post 4 with a trio of deep closers to his inside, so he shouldn’t have any trouble reaching the rail and saving ground early on. Whether he’s able to stay inside or is forced to shift outside for racing room remains to be seen, but if Mystik Dan brings his A-game, he’ll be a win threat regardless.
Tuscan Sky showed lots of promise in his first two starts. He debuted in a six-furlong maiden special weight at Aqueduct, which he dominated by 5 1/4 lengths with a 97 Brisnet speed rating. He matched that number when stepping up in class and distance for a 1 1/16-mile $100,000 allowance optional claimer at Fair Grounds, scoring by two lengths over Nash, who has since won the Hot Springs and finished second in the Pat Day Mile (G2).
Tuscan Sky misfired when making his third start in the Wood Memorial (G2), racing off the pace throughout on his way to seventh place. If he can return to the pressing or stalking tactics he employed in his first two starts, Tuscan Sky has the talent to challenge for victory in Saturday’s 10th race at Pimlico, the Sir Barton, post time 4:10 p.m. EDT.
Let's get Preakness 149 Weekend started.
Happy Black-Eyed Susan Day!
Happy Black-Eyed Susan Day!
Gun Song wins the 100th running of the G2 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan Stakes
