Mystic Guide joins Maxfield as the second Godolphin homebred among the three finalists for champion older dirt male. Both were from the same crop, but while Maxfield was the more precocious of the two, by 2021, at age 4, they were both among the leaders of their division. Mystic Guide scored a career highlight both for himself and trainer Mike Stidham with his victory in the Dubai World Cup, in which he was an emphatic 3 3/4-length winner. That came after his seasonal debut at Oaklawn Park in the Grade 3 Razorback, in which he powered home six lengths best while earning a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 108. Stidham had brought Mystic Guide along deliberately, but it was now paying off. Mystic Guide didn’t even debut until February of his 3-year-old year. That talent was evident, though. After winning his second start, he was pointed to summer stakes at Saratoga, and after a prep at Belmont Park he was third in the Grade 3 Peter Pan and then – in his first start with blinkers – won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy, which was run the same day as the postponed Kentucky Derby. That foundation set up Mystic Guide for his first Grade 1 attempt, in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, in which he finished second to the unbeaten Happy Saver. So entering 2021, it was clear Mystic Guide was going to be a force to be reckoned with. :: Full list of 2021 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories The Razorback served notice that the progress made at age 3 was continuing. It was an ideal prep for the World Cup, being exactly four weeks prior. The Razorback also marked the first time Luis Saez rode Mystic Guide. It was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Mystic Guide got an ideal, stalking trip in the World Cup, racing in third early, just outside the leaders. “That was the plan, to break and get that position,” Saez said after the race. Mystic Guide’s time of 2:01.61 for 2,000 meters – about 1 1/4 miles – was the second-fastest World Cup since the event moved to Meydan in 2010. It was the richest and most significant win for Stidham, who after the race said he was feeling “40 years of emotion right now.” “I really felt like it was finally my turn to step up to the big time,” Stidham said. “I really wanted it to happen.” After returning to the United States, Mystic Guide resurfaced in the Grade 2 Suburban on July 3 at Belmont. Though he got the best of Happy Saver, who finished third, he was unable to hold off Max Player and had to settle for second. Not long after the race, Mystic Guide was found to have a chip in his right knee, which was removed by noted surgeon Dr. Larry Bramlage. Mystic Guide, by Ghostzapper, is out of the A.P. Indy mare Music Note, a five-time Grade 1 winner for Godolphin. In his nine starts, he has never finished out of the money, winning four, while earning $7,593,200.