Mystic Dan has already become a legend in the horse racing world, a permanent fixture in the history of this storied sport.
He now has the opportunity to elevate his legacy from legend to immortal by winning a few more races and completing the Triple Crown.
Mystic Dan owns odds of an amazing feat of 33/1 per bet 365 ahead of the second leg.
Only 13 horses have ever won the Triple Crown, and only two in the past 45 years.
triple crown champion
| Horse | Year | Horse | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Justify | 2018 | count fleet | 1943 |
| american pharaoh | 2015 | Whirlway | 1941 |
| affirmed | 1978 | war admiral | 1937 |
| Seattle Through | 1977 | Omaha | 1935 |
| secretariat | 1973 | Gallant Fox | 1930 |
| Quote | 1948 | Lord Burton | 1919 |
| assault | 1946 |
Of course, the Triple Crown can only be won one race at a time, and Mystic Dan’s next step is the Preakness Stakes on May 18th.
The big question now is whether he will play in the iconic Baltimore event.
We may not know until Monday when the race rankings are determined, but the horse’s health is in a delicate situation, and two weeks is not a long time to rest to get him back to 100 percent.
This is part of what makes Triple Crown winners so special. Most of the Preakness horses didn’t run at Churchill Downs last week, so a tired horse will have to face fresher horses, so his talent will need to really shine.
The fact that Mystic Dan may not run in any of the upcoming Triple Crown races is factored into the long odds, so if you’re willing to take the risk, he could be invaluable if he runs. You might end up getting a ticket.
So what are Mystic Dan’s chances of winning the Preakness if he runs?
Length doesn’t matter. It’s only 1/16th of a mile shorter than the Kentucky Derby, and if the Derby had ended a little earlier, he would have won by more than a nose.
What worries me is how Dan won. He controlled the rail for much of the second half of the race and used that position to jump to the front of the pack near the corner and ultimately win.
This is a difficult approach to reproducing a pending post position and can be especially difficult for horses that may show signs of fatigue when actually running.
Of course, even if he wins, he only has three weeks left to recover before a potential Triple Crown decider at the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga.
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Two more wins seem out of reach for the underdog, who used a bold strategy to win the Kentucky Derby by the shortest margin and is already showing signs of slowing down.
These long odds are legitimate, and even if Mystic Dan were to run at Pimlico, it would likely not be worth the investment.
