Mystik Dan’s Quest for Greatness and His Triple Crown Odds to Win

With bated breath, we enter the realm of horse racing, captivated by Mystik Dan’s electrifying performance at the Kentucky Derby and the ensuing buzz surrounding his Triple Crown prospects, immersing ourselves in the intricacies of Triple Crown odds to win to uncover the secrets that may pave the way for his historic triumph.

In one of the closest finishes in Kentucky Derby history, Kenny McPeek trained Mystik Dan nosed out second choice Sierra Leone to win the roses. Mystik Dan heads to Pimlico Racecourse this week to prepare for the May 18 Preakness Stakes.

Check out a list of potential Preakness starters along with predicted odds as well as analysis regarding Mystik Dan’s chances of winning the second jewel.  

Baffert to Unleash Muth and Imagination in the Preakness Stakes

One of the biggest issues Mystik Dan, or any Derby winner has had in recent years is dealing with Bob Baffert’s three-year-old monsters. Baffert, one of the greatest trainers in history, hasn’t had the chance to run his three-year-olds in the Kentucky Derby due to a Churchill Downs ban.

Instead of running his horses in the Derby, Baffert has had the luxury of resting his ponies and pouncing in the Preakness. Call it the silver lining in a ridiculous battle with Twin Spires.

In any case, Bob plans on entering a couple of beasts into this year’s Second Jewel. The first is Arkansas Derby winner Muth.

Sired by Good Magic and from an Uncle Mo broodmare, Hoppa, Muth would have been a favorite to win the Derby if he had been allowed to enter. The horse easily won the Arkansas Derby and is considered one of the top three-year-olds in the world.

Not only that, but in the head-to-head versus Mystik Dan, which happened in the Arkansas Derby, Muth scored the victory, beating Mystik Dan and Just Steel. Muth will be fresh, which will make him the chalk.

Baffert also plans on sending Imagination to the gate. Imagination finished second to Stronghold in the Santa Anita Derby. The expensive colt, Imagination, auctioned for $1.2 million, has untapped ability. If Baffert has gotten Imagination’s mind right, the three year old could also challenge Mystik Dan.

Informed Patriot and Tuscan Gold are Also Players

Steve Asmussen trained Informed Patriot and Chad Brown’s Tuscan Gold will also be players in the Preakness. Informed Patriot won the Bath House Row at Oaklawn Park after finishing fifth to Muth in the Arkansas Derby.

Tuscan Gold hasn’t run since, finished third behind Catching Freedom and Honor Marie in the Louisiana Derby. The Chad Brown runner should be ready to make the leap to stardom. Brown is an expert at getting horses ready to run in the Preakness off the shelf. Also, Tuscan Gold projects to offer decent odds compared to Mystik Dan and Muth.

Mystik Dan Must Wheel Back after 2 Weeks

Muth, Tuscan Gold, Informed Patriots and Imagination are all new shooters that will challenge the Derby winner in the Preakness. But the real reason to go against Mystik Dan to win in Baltimore is because of how hard he had to fight off Sierra Leone and Forever Young to win the Derby.

Mystik Dan runs without blinkers, which means he saw both Forever Young and Sierra Leone rushing up to him. The fact Mystik Dan held them off speaks to his quality. But holding off horses in the stretch is tough. So Mystik Dan should be tired, which isn’t a promising idea facing a horse like Muth. Pass on Mystik Dan winning the Preakness Stakes, which means there won’t be a Triple Crown winner this year.   

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