LEXINGTON, Ky. – A horse who won’t be competing here this October is nevertheless one of the most famous horses currently stabled at Keeneland.  Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan has been galloping daily at Keeneland since Oct. 3, after arriving the day prior from a vacation at trainer Ken McPeek’s Magdalena Farm in Lexington. The break from racetrack life of just shy of three months clearly agreed with the colt. He has put on weight – McPeek said about 150 pounds – and his coat has a healthy shine. “He’s gonna come back bigger and stronger,” McPeek said. “Our goal is to take him to the next level and prove he’s not just a one-hit wonder. The Derby’s obviously a wonderful race to win, and he’ll always be known for that, but he’s got a lot more racing in front of him.” The victory in a three-horse photo in the 150th Kentucky Derby in May was the fourth start of Mystik Dan’s 3-year-old campaign, in an era when many horses make two pre-Derby starts; he had also been in steady track training the fall prior, as he had debuted in October of his 2-year-old season. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. After the Derby triumph, Mystik Dan finished second in the Preakness Stakes and then eighth in the Belmont Stakes as the only horse to run in all three legs of this year’s Triple Crown. In the weeks following the Belmont, McPeek decided that Mystik Dan needed a break from training, and set aside the idea of targeting any of the major summer and fall stakes for 3-year-olds in favor of freshening up for a 4-year-old campaign. The colt was sent to Magdalena, where he was born and raised, shortly before the Saratoga meet in July. Mystik Dan resumed light under-tack training at Magdalena, which has a 1 1/2-mile turf gallop, in late September, prior to shipping to Keeneland to resume more structured racetrack work. McPeek said he has no immediate race plans for the colt, who was bred by Four G Racing, Lance Gasaway, and Daniel Hamby, and is owned by those breeders in partnership with Valley View Farm. However, he has some loose long-range targets in mind. “The ownership family is Arkansas-based,” McPeek said. “I’d like to win the Oaklawn Handicap with him.” The Grade 2, $1.25 million Oaklawn Handicap is set for April 19 at the eponymous track. McPeek also mentioned the Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap, which has a history as a stallion-making race, as an attractive target to advertise the colt’s ability to run a bit shorter. The one-mile race has recently been held on the undercard of the Belmont Stakes. Last year, the $1 million race was contested at a 1 1/2-turn configuration out of the Wilson Chute at Saratoga. “Right now, we just want to get him happy galloping, make sure he’s doing good,” McPeek said. “We’re not going to make any schedule. We’re going to let him tell us. I’d like to think we could make plenty of the older-horse races. “We’ve got to prove some things with him as a stallion prospect,” he continued. “I think they’d like to see him win another Grade 1 before they’ll really be attracted to him as a stallion, and they might even want to see him sprint. So the Met Mile might be a race we’d point toward later in the year – maybe even the Breeders’ Cup [Dirt] Mile. I think he’s capable of all that.” Mystik Dan is by Goldencents, two-time winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.