Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan will challenge for the second jewel of American flat racing’s Triple Crown when he competes in the Preakness Stakes on Saturday, with his path getting easier after Muth, the early favorite, was scratched by illness.
Mystik Dan, trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., won the first leg of the Triple Crown in a thrilling three-way photo finish at Churchill Downs on May 4.
Mystik Dan gave both McPeek and Hernandez their first Kentucky Derby victories, but in the Preakness it was the Bob Baffert-trained Muth who was favored to win after his convincing win over Mystik Dan in the Arkansas Derby in March.
