Kentucky Derby (G1) Winner Mystik Dan was entered in the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course by coach Kenny McPeek after practice on June 1.
After completing five furlongs in a time of 1:01.59, McPeek was pleased with the progress his son had made. gold money following a runner-up effort in the May 18 Preakness Stakes (G1)
“It’s just maintenance work, nothing complicated,” McPeek said. “He did very well. We just checked a few small details and wrote them down this morning.”
Those little details included blood tests, which McPeek said came back normal — a routine step for McPeek students before enrolling.
With the Belmont entry of Mystik Dan, stablemate and Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Thorpedo Anna will continue to field colts and start the June 7 Acorn Stakes (G1) instead of against fillies.
“Definitely better than average,” McPeek said of her Acorn chances. “She’s doing great.”
Mystik Dan will be the first horse to compete in all three Triple Crown jewels since then Max player in 2020. Max Player benefited from a 15-week schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preakness winner War of wills was the final race of the entire series during the normal five-week period in 2019. War of Will finished seventh in the Kentucky Derby and ninth in the Belmont.
McPeek credits a great team for taking good care of the Derby winner to help prepare him for every step of his Triple Crown journey and keep him healthy and happy along the way submit. McPeek’s teams in Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and now New York all play a role.
“Of course logistically, it’s not easy,” McPeek said. “You have to have good people across the board.”
Mystik Dan would also be the first Derby winner since then globe in 2013 to run in the Belmont after losing the Preakness, which set up the first Derby/Preakness winner’s rubber match in the Belmont since cow bow Challenge Orb. Oxbow came out on top, coming in second Palace of Malice while Orb finished third.
Mystik Dan’s Preakness winning rival, Embrace the gray arrived in Saratoga Saturday night after a long truck ride from his residence. Churchill Downs base in Louisville, Ky.
Grasping Gray and trainer D. Wayne Lukas settled at Saratoga ahead of the Belmont Stakes
The wind is resilient against Belmont
Wood Memorial (G2) Winner resilience worked half a mile on Sunday before being able to start at Belmont.
Earlier in the week, coach Bill Mott took his son into mischief returned to Belmont consideration after the May 4 Kentucky Derby, where he posed a threat in the stretch before dropping to sixth place. The decision depends on how he performs in the breeze Sunday, his second since the Derby. Based on the light breeze, it looks like Resilience’s form may be coming into the entry box.
Work in the blink of an eye outside stablemate with 3 year old deposit bill Recovery clocked a :48 for his four-hour work, the second-fastest of the 30 winds on Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track.
Keith McCalmont of the New York Racing Association posted a quote from Mott on X which read: “It was very, very good. The timing was good and he did it the right way. We intentionally wanted him to go out a little bit at the turn after work, which he did. “
Posting positions for the Belmont Stakes will be drawn on June 3 at 5pm ET.
