Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan may not make Triple Crown attempt
Kentucky Derby contender Mystik Dan gallops around the track on Thursday, May 2, 2024 at Churchill Downs. Mystic Dan is trained by Kenny McPeek. © Clare Grant/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
Mystik Dan has already claimed the first race in the chase for the Triple Crown, but the colt might not even try for the second.
Citing the short two-week turnaround between the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, trainer Kenny McPeek refused to commit to running Mystik Dan in the second leg of the Triple Crown. McPeek said they would ultimately base their decision on how the horse feels.
“We’re not committed to the Preakness, not yet,” McPeek said Sunday, via Gary B. Graves of the Associated Press. “I ran him back once in two weeks and it completely backfired on me. … So, we’ll just watch him over the next week. It’ll be one of those (situations) where we’ll probably take it up to the last minute.
“We’ll let him tell us.”
That would be disappointing, but not unprecedented. A number of Kentucky Derby winners have skipped the Preakness. 2022 Kentucky Derby winner Rich Strike, a longshot Derby winner, skipped the race too.
Justify is the most recent horse to win the Triple Crown, having done so in 2018. That may remain the case for at least one more year.
