Kentucky Derby Maiden Watch: Mystik Dan’s half-brother wins
Mystik Bayou breaks his maiden at Belmont Park. (Photo by Coglianese Photos/Chelsea Durand)
In the long history of the Kentucky Derby (G1), no mare has foaled more than one winner of the great race. Could that change in 2027?
Ma’am, a daughter of 2008 Kentucky Derby participant Colonel John, entered the history books as the dam of 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan. Now, Ma’am is back in the news thanks to her son, Mystik Bayou, an exciting maiden winner with the potential to develop into a 2027 Kentucky Derby contender.
Mystik Bayou
Mystik Bayou hails from familiar connections. He’s trained by Kenny McPeek, who conditioned Mystik Dan, and he’s owned by Four G Racing, Lance Gasaway, and Daniel Hamby III, three of the four co-owners of Mystik Dan.
Bettors weren’t overly eager to support Mystik Bayou when he debuted on Sept. 5 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight at Saratoga, sending him off at 13-1. But after rating in fifth place early on, Mystik Bayou advanced to finish third behind runaway winner U. S. S. Valor, who subsequently took the Champagne (G1) on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
For his second start, Mystik Bayou stretched out over 1 1/16 miles for a maiden special weight at Belmont Park last Saturday. The result? A decisive victory. Showing improved early speed, Mystik Bayou raced in second place, never more than one length behind fractions of :23.30, :46.56, and 1:10.87. In the final quarter-mile, he took over the lead and out-kicked Tap Our Way (who pulled well clear of the rest) to win by 4 1/4 lengths in the snappy time of 1:42.03.
Mystik Bayou is an Oklahoma-bred son of 2020 Louisiana Derby (G2) winner Wells Bayou. Here, we find another chance to make history. An Oklahoma-bred has never won the Kentucky Derby, and only one (Clever Trevor, the 13th-place finisher in 1989) has competed in the race since at least 1966. If Mystik Bayou prevails on the first Saturday in May, he’ll make history not only for his dam, but for an entire state.
Damavand
One day after two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Todd Pletcher won Keeneland’s Breeders’ Futurity (G1) with American History, he sent out Damavand to win a 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight on Sunday at Keeneland in fine fashion.
Purchased for $1 million as a yearling, Damavand struggled when debuting in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Sept. 7 at Saratoga, racing off the pace before passing a few tired rivals to finish a distant fourth.
Stretching out around two turns at Keeneland made all the difference. The son of hot sire Not This Time rated in third place behind slow fractions of :23.70, :48.82, and 1:14.22, then launched a determined finish to reel in co-pacesetter Belzoni by a neck.
Damavand showed strong finishing speed, clocking his final quarter-mile in :23.93 per the Equibase GPS result chart to reach the finish line in 1:44.57. Three-time Kentucky Derby-winning jockey John Velazquez guided him to victory, and a start on the 2026-27 Road to the Kentucky Derby surely beckons.
Mission Integrity
Back at Belmont Park, another notable maiden winner last week was Mission Integrity, from the barn of two-time Kentucky Derby-winning trainer Bill Mott.
Mission Integrity was soundly beaten in his Aug. 29 debut, sprinting six furlongs at Saratoga, showing only brief early speed before tiring to finish fifth by 17 1/2 lengths. However, the son of Maximus Mischief improved significantly in his second start, which came on Wednesday in a six-furlong maiden special weight.
Overlooked as the longest shot in a seven-horse field at 15-1 odds, Mission Integrity seized the lead through splits of :22.67 and :45.53, widened his advantage to 2 1/2 lengths in midstretch, and held off a late challenger to score by one length in 1:10.50.
Maximus Mischief is primarily a source of speed at stud, with his progeny compiling an average winning distance of 6.3 furlongs, so it’s possible Mission Integrity will prove best over distances shorter than the Kentucky Derby’s 1 1/4-mile journey. But given how much Mission Integrity improved from his first start to his second, he’s worth following as autumn and winter progress.
Kingside
The last horse we’ll highlight is Kingside, a son of Upstart who won his debut in a six-furlong maiden special weight on Friday at Keeneland.
The Brendan Walsh trainee rated two lengths behind an opening quarter-mile in :22.18, cut his deficit to one length through half a mile in :45.27, reached virtually even terms with the leaders at the eighth pole, and then edged away to triumph by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:11.61.
