'He's got every chance to be a really top stallion' - Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan to stand at Airdrie Stud

Airdrie Stud has announced that Mystik Dan, a winner of the Kentucky Derby in 2024, is set to retire to the farm upon the conclusion of his racing career. 

A three-time Graded 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, Mystik Dan first gained attention with an emphatic two-year-old maiden victory going 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 three-year-old campaign that also included an eight-length win in Oaklawn Park's Southwest Stakes, as well as second- and third-placed finishes in the Preakness Stakes and Arkansas Derby.

On his most recent start, the four-year-old returned to the Churchill Downs winner's circle with an emphatic victory in the Blame Stakes, setting a new stakes record in the process. Plans call for the colt to make his next start in the Stephen Foster Stakes on June 28 with a season-ending goal of the Breeders' Cup 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-winning millionaire Summer Front.

Mystik Dan (right) crosses the finish line ahead of Sierra Leone and Forever Young in the Kentucky Derby Credit: Michael Reaves

Airdrie's Bret Jones said: "His historic win in the Kentucky Derby will ensure that name recognition will never be an issue for Mystik Dan, 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 two, where he opens up seven lengths going five and a half 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 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," McPeek added, "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 honoured to partner with Airdrie Stud and very excited for what the future holds."

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