Mystic Guide could run in Dubai, New Orleans 'Cap or Oaklawn 'Cap

HOT SPRINGS, Ark. - Mystic Guide earned a preliminary Beyer Speed Figure of 108 for his Saturday win in the Grade 3, $600,000 Razorback Handicap at Oaklawn Park, tying the highest assigned to a horse so far in 2021.

Knicks Go earned a 108 Beyer for his win in the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational in January at Gulfstream Park, after also getting a 108 in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile in November 2020.

Mystic Guide earned the number in his seventh career start in the Razorback. He emerged from the race with good energy according to his trainer, Michael Stidham.

“He came out of it in great shape,” Stidham said Sunday. “He was dragging me around the shed this morning. He’s really good – bouncing.”

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Mystic Guide is a Ghostzapper homebred for Godolphin, the stable which also won the Grade 3, $750,000 Southwest Stakes here Saturday with its homebred champion Essential Quality. Both horses were ridden by Luis Saez.

As for Mystic Guide, Stidham said plans for the horse’s next start are being discussed with Jimmy Bell and Dan Pride of Godolphin. The races under consideration are the Dubai World Cup, the New Orleans Handicap, and the Oaklawn Handicap.

Stidham said if the team wants to point to the Dubai World Cup, the decision would come in the very near future because of the procedures for traveling to the overseas race.

“That will probably be a decision made Tuesday, because Wednesday is the deadline as far as starting vaccinations for Dubai,” Stidham said.

Mystic Guide was to return to his Fair Grounds base Monday. The Razorback was run over 1 1/16 miles, a distance Stidham considers less than optimum for the son of Ghostzapper. Mystic Guide won the Grade 2 Jim Dandy last year at Saratoga at 1 1/8 miles and finished off his season with a close second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont over 1 1/4 miles, the same distance as the Dubai World Cup.

“A mile and an eighth, a mile and a quarter is even more up his alley,” Stidham said. “So, I think the sky’s the limit for him. The way we spaced him out as a 3-year-old, gave him the time, brought him back now, and this race to start out his 4-year-old year is huge.”

Mystic Guide won by six lengths, and was the 121-pound highweight Saturday. He is out of the A. P. Indy mare Music Note, who won five Grade 1 races and earned more than $1.7 million.