McPeek Surprised to Find Mystik Dan 3rd in Morning Line
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Photo: Skip Dickstein
Trainer Ken McPeek
Ken McPeek trains Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Mystik Dan .
The same 3-year-old son of Goldencents who was second in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and sits atop the current National Thoroughbred Racing Association Top 10 3-Year-Old poll.
So when the morning line was announced for the June 8 Belmont Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course, McPeek was a bit surprised when his colt was installed as the third choice at 5-1 behind the Chad Brown-trained Sierra Leone (9-5), who finished a nose behind Mystik Dan in the opening jewel of the Triple Crown, and Mindframe (7-2), who is trained by Todd Pletcher and is making his stakes debut after lopsided maiden and allowance optional claimer wins.
"I was very surprised Mindframe was the second choice," McPeek said. "Very surprised. But admittedly, up here at Saratoga, they bet on Chad and Todd. Mindframe hasn't run in a stakes but he has run fast, though the last time (a May 4 allowance race at Churchill Downs) he had a really slow pace (:49.18 and 1:13.17). He's going to get some pace Saturday."