Mystik Dan takes second in Preakness Stakes | The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Trying to make another late charge, as he did when he won a Kentucky Derby nearly two weeks earlier, Southeast Arkansas-owned Mystik Dan’s push for a second jewel of racing’s Triple Crown horses ended just before the victory on Saturday.

Take advantage of the wire-to-wire Gray LED to win the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The Jaime Torres-bred horse ran the 1 3/16-mile race in 1 minute, 56.82 seconds and finished 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Mystik Dan, with Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard.

Mystik Dan is owned by 4G Racing LLC, which includes Star City rancher Lance Gasaway, his cousin Brent Gasaway and Brent’s wife Sharilyn; in association with Daniel Hamby III and Valley View Farm LLC. Lance Gasaway is a native of Gould.

A Preakness win for the Kenny McPeek-trained Mystik Dan would have been the second known for a horse with Southeast Arkansas ties. A Lake Hamilton-bred horse named after the town of Pine Bluff won the race in 1992.

Seize the Gray gave trainer D. Wayne Lukas his 15th Triple Crown win and seventh in the Preakness. The horse paid $21.80 to win, $8.40 to place and $4.40 to show.

Mystik Dan paid $4.20 and $2.80 and Catching Freedom, ridden by Flavien Prat, paid $3.20.

Mystik Dan’s plan of attack was similar to his shooting spree in Louisville, Ky. Coming from post no. 5, was first out of the gate and dropped a bit off the pace but stayed on the rail most of the way. . Mystik Dan was running fourth in the quarter-mile and half-mile furlongs.

Coming out of the back turn, he charged from the outside, only for Seize the Grey, who came out of post no. 6, to retire for victory.

Seize the Gray earned $1.2 million from a $2 million purse, with Mystik Dan taking home $400,000 and Catching Freedom $120,000.

The final Triple Crown race is the Belmont Stakes in Elmont, NY on June 8.