Muth Gets His Chance to Shine

The 150th running of the Kentucky Derby is now a matter of history. May 4, 2024, At odds of 18-1, Mystic Dan upset the Derby field to the delight of journeyman jockey Brian Hernandez and trainer Kenneth McPeek. 

During the race, Mystic Dan sat a perfect trip along the rail with a fast pace unfolding before him. As the field turned into the stretch, face favorite Feirceness was fading fast and Hernandez pushed the button on his 3-year-old colt. Scaling up the rail, Mystic Dan exploded to a two-length lead, left to hold off late charges by Sierra Leone and Japan's Forever Young. 

It was a great day for horse racing in the U.S. with one major exception. There is a good chance the best 3-year-old colt in the country was sitting on the Derby sidelines. Why? Muth has the misfortune of being trained by a trainer who has been banned from running horses at Churchill Downs since the Derby of 2021. Bob Baffert's ban came as a result of Betamethasone being found in a post-race blood sample from Derby winner Medina Spirit. With Muth sitting on the sidelines, racing fans can only guess what might have been had the brilliant 2024 Arkansas Derby winner been able to enter the Derby starting gate.

It's on to the Preakness Stakes

In 2023, Baffert had another fast colt that was left on the Derby sidelines. That colt was National Treasure. After missing the Derby, Baffert took his steed to Pimlico Racecourse in Maryland where National Treasure stood his ground and won the 2023 Preakness Stakes, the 2nd jewel of the Triple Crown.

On May 18, 2024, Muth will be looking to duplicate that feat for the benefit of his trainer Baffert and owner Zedan Racing Stables. Assuming the colt will make it to the starting gate, Muth will enter the Preakness with a racing record of 4 wins and 2 seconds from 6 starts. His victories include Grade 1 wins in the American Pharaoh Stakes and Santa Anita and the aforementioned Arkansas Derby by 5 1/2 lengths at Oaklawn Park.

It's noteworthy that in the Arkansas Derby, Muth easily handled the Kentucky Derby winner Mystic Dan by 6 1/4 lengths while geared down. Will there be a rematch in the $2,000,000 Preakness Stakes? As of this writing, trainer McPeek is leaning towards skipping the Preakness in favor of a possible run in the Belmont Stakes to be run for the first time at the historic Saratoga Racecourse in Saratoga Springs, New York. The Belmont is traditionally run as the 3rd jewel of the Triple Crown at Belmont Park. However, Belmont Park is currently under a much-needed renovation.

Mystic Dan or not, this will be Muth's chance to grab the National horse racing spotlight. If he wins the Preakness, it will again stir the pot of controversy over the notion that the best 3-year-old colts keep getting denied a chance to make history because of Churchill Downs representatives.

In all fairness, Zedan Racing Stables could have moved Muth to another trainer and run in the Derby. They chose loyalty over politics.