Mystic Lake

BENSALEM, PA -- The look of sheer relief on the face of trainer Ken McPeek pretty much said it all. Sent off the long odds-on pop and with the bullseye squarely on her back in Saturday's $1-million GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing, 'TDN Rising Star' Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) was forced into a perilous trip and found herself locked away for the better part of the opening seven furlongs, but the great ones find a way to win when the chips are down and she clawed her way past...

Trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. started his night off strong, taking the first of two graded stakes at Charles Town Friday night as Mystic Lake (Mo Town) swept to the front in impressive fashion to win the GII Charles Town Oaks. The Florida-bred daughter of Mo Town wasn't bet like a winner, going off right on her 6-1 morning line, but entered on a strong run having won three of six starts this year in an "every other race" pattern. She earned her debut graded stakes win two back taking the...

Stonestreet Stable's Emery (More Than Ready), whose lone career loss to date came when fourth in the GI Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct last October, returns to the New York oval as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the GIII Victory Ride Stakes Thursday. The 6 1/2-furlong race with a field of five is the lone graded event on tap for the holiday. Trained by Brad Cox, Emery was a first-out winner at Saratoga last August before finishing some five lengths adrift of champion Just F Y I (Justify) in the Frizette....

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...