Preakness Stakes 2024: Mystik Dan’s Triple Crown Attempt Has Horseracing Community in Splits

Mystik Dan is having the time of his life recently. The American Thoroughbred displayed impeccable racing skills to impress in as many as four races this season. Starting in January, Mystik Dan ran 5th in the Smarty Jones Stakes and followed it with a victory in Southwest Stakes and a third-position finish in the Arkansas Derby.

However, his biggest moment of recognition came a few days back when Dan Mystik clinched the pole position at the prestigious Kentucky Derby. It was one of the toughest competitions for Mystik Dan to date, competing with the likes of Sierra Leone and Forever Young. And now, Mystik Dan is aiming for a triple crown going into the Preakness Stakes. 

Mystik Dan aims for triple title but has rigid competition waiting

It is already a headline that Mystik Dan is taking part in the upcoming Preakness Stakes on May 18, 2024. Initially, Dan’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, wanted to give the colt enough time to recover. However, to chase the triple crown, McPeek has given the green signal to Mystik Dan for the Preakness Stakes. 

For the uninitiated, the triple crown accounts for the Kentucky Derby, Preakness Stakes, and the Belmont Stakes. Winning all three races is the highest honor a horse can achieve in the racing circuit. Having already won the first hurdle, Mystik Dan is confident about taking the leap of faith at Preakness. But he will not be short of competitors. The equine’s biggest threat will be Muth. 

Trained by Bob Baffert, Muth has already defeated Mystik Dan in their previous meeting in Arkansas. In the Kentucky Derby, however, Muth could not participate as his trainer had an extended ban by the Churchill Downs. Now that the issue is resolved, Muth will be raring to go and edge past Mystik Dan’s full throttle. The heat of the rivalry between the two also reached the fans as they chimed in with their analysis.

Fans dissect Preakness Stakes possibilities

Analyzing the performance and potential of Muth, one Reddit user highlighted that Muth hasn’t participated in the Derby, which may have contributed to his perceived overrating. Despite being a likely winner, they are skeptical because Muth hasn’t shown significant improvement since his 2-year-old form.

They wrote, “Muth will be a challenge but I will say that I think he’s been a bit overrated by virtue of not participating in the Derby, which race shape says he wouldn’t have won…My issue with Muth is he’s never been particularly faster than anyone else in this crop, and he’s never really progressed himself from his 2YO form.”

Implying that the lack of participation in the Derby gives Muth an advantage, one user commented, “Myth beat the derby winner by 6 lengths. He’s a fresh horse. His trainer cheats and he’s banned from running at Churchill Downs”. 

One user suggested that Muth is not invincible but might be significantly superior based on his performance relative to Derby finishers. They wrote, “…Muth was beaten 6 lengths by the Derby 15th place finisher. Muth beat the Derby 17th place finisher by 2 lengths. Nothing you said makes him invincible. Everything in racing is about value. I’m hesitant to assign too much value to Muth. If he’s 7/5, probably not a good bet. At 3/1, different story.”

Referring to the betting strategy for upcoming Preakness, a fan suggested that Muth is likely to be a heavy favorite this season. They wrote, “Muth looks to be the heavy favorite. Will probably bet a heavy box tri and ex with muth, mystic Dan, catching freedom, and imagination.”

Express a dismissive attitude, one user commented, “Doesn’t have a shot but nice to see him running…Preakness is always such an underwhelming field.” They commented on the quality of the field in the Preakness, suggesting that it tends to be underwhelming compared to other horse racing events.

With the stakes rising, it will be interesting to find out how the race unfolds for Mystik Dan. Will he be able to cross the second hurdle and aim for the triple crown?