Mo Town's Mystic Lake Coast To Coast In the Miss Preakness

With the better-known 'Mystik' still in the barn, Mystic Lake (Mo Town) went to the front end and never looked back, rolling home a 4 1/2-length winner over favored Youalmosthadme (Oxbow) in Friday's Miss Preakness S. at Pimlico.

A second-out winner at Woodbine last fall, she was runner-up in that venue's Glorious Song S. on the synthetic in October before weakening late to be third in the GIII Mazarine S. in November. Kicking off 2024 with a win in Tampa's seven-panel Gasparilla S. on the dirt Jan. 13, the Florida-bred filly was fifth going a mile in Gulfstream's grassy GIII Herecomesthebride S. but rebounded to post a front-running victory facing state-bred rivals back on the dirt in the Sophomore Fillies S. at Tampa Mar. 24. Returning to Woodbine for her latest start, she finished second as the favorite in the Star Shoot S. over six furlongs Apr. 27.

Sent off at 5-1, Mystic Lake broke like a shot from the rail and raced to the front with Launch (Omaha Beach) in hot pursuit as Value Area (More Than Ready), breaking from post 2, was pinched back and dropped back to the rear of the field. Carving out a quarter in :23.09, the filly continued to show the way over Launch and a rail-skimming Youlamosthadme through a :46.44 half. Straightening for home, Mystic Lake showed no signs of letting up and spurted clear as the 2-1 favorite tried to reel the front-runner in, but couldn't make headway late. Discreet Ops (Army Mule) closed to grab third over Cap Classique (Vino Rosso).

“She jumped very well and got an early good position, and she did the rest from there,” said winning rider jockey Flavien Prat, accompanying the filly for the first time. “You've got to break well, but she did, and it turned out well.”

“She is just a consistent filly and she ran big today,” added trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. “She has run well on the dirt. She has won her last three on the dirt. The only blemish on her record was her first time on the dirt [in her career debut at Gulfstream when she ran ninth]. For some reason, she did not break that day and ran poorly.”

Pedigree Notes:

Mystic Lake's Miss Preakness victory gives Mo Town (Uncle Mo) his sixth career graded winner. A $130,000 OBS March 2-year-old buy, Mystic Lake was previously purchased for $3,500 by Tom McCrocklin at the OBS yearling sale in 2022. Mystic Lake was consigned to the recently concluded Fasig-Tipton May Digital Sale, but was unsold on a final bid of $370,000, having already been entered for the Miss Preakness. The filly is the first foal out of Salty Soul, herself a $30,000 Keeneland November in 2017.

Friday, Pimlico
MISS PREAKNESS S.-GIII, $150,000, Pimlico, 5-17, 3yo, f, 6f, 1:11.40, ft.
1–MYSTIC LAKE, 120, f, 3, by Mo Town
1st Dam: Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday
2nd Dam: Pyramyst, by Pyramid Peak
3rd Dam: Almost Mystical, by General Assembly
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. ($3,500 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $130,000
2yo '23 OBSMAR; $370,000 RNA 3yo '24 FTDMAY). O-C2
Racing Stable LLC and Stefania Farms, LLC; B-Peggy Costanzo
(FL); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Flavien Prat. $90,000. Lifetime
Record: 9-4-2-1, $291,554. Werk Nick Rating: F. Click for the
eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com
catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Youalmosthadme, 124, f, 3, Oxbow–Good Gator, by Good
and Tough. ($12,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). O-Resolute Racing;
B-Pope McLean, Marc McLean & Pope McLean Jr. (KY); T-Brad Cox. $30,000.
3–Discreet Ops, 118, f, 3, Army Mule–Seams Discreet, by
Discreet Cat. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE.
($50,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $50,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT; $27,000
2yo '23 EASMAY). O-Charles J. Reed; B-Richard Lueck (KY);
T-Benjamin M. Feliciano, Jr.. $15,000.
Margins: 4HF, 1 1/4, NO. Odds: 5.80, 2.30, 13.80.
Also Ran: Cap Classique, Lady Moscato, Belle's Blue Bell, Value Area, Carmelina, Launch, Miss Harriett, Closing Act, Let Them Watch.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.