Peter Pan distance suits the up-and-coming Mystic Guide

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Michael Stidham was far from discouraged by Mystic Guide’s second-place finish as the favorite in a first-level allowance race June 4 at Belmont Park. Instead of looking to run him back in the same condition, Stidham has opted to run Mystic Guide in Thursday’s Grade 3, $100,000 Peter Pan Stakes on Saratoga’s 10-race opening-day card.

The 1 1/8-mile Peter Pan, traditionally run the second weekend in May as a prep for the Belmont Stakes, has been moved to Saratoga for this meet and could be used as a stepping-stone to the Grade 1 Travers on Aug. 8. The Peter Pan offers 85 qualifying points to its top four finishers (50-20-10-5) toward the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby.

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In his last out, Mystic Guide was beaten five lengths by Tap It to Win, who got loose on the lead and came within .54 of a second of the Belmont track record for 1 1/16 miles. Mystic Guide outfinished Country Grammer by 1 1/4 lengths for second.

“I loved the way my horse finished and the way he galloped out in that race,” Stidham said. “It gave me all the confidence to come back going the mile and an eighth. We were thinking Blue Grass, Haskell, or this race. I felt like Saratoga might help my horse with his style. That’s why we chose the Peter Pan.”

Stidham was referring to Mystic Guide’s closing style, which he hopes fits Saratoga’s surface and the anticipated fast pace scenario, with Celtic Striker, winner of the two-horse Easy Goer Stakes, and Modernist in the field.

Modernist is one of two horses in this field to have won at 1 1/8 miles, having done so in a maiden race at Aqueduct in January and a division of the Risen Star Stakes at Fair Grounds in February. After a third-place finish in the Louisiana Derby, Modernist was a non-threatening seventh behind Tiz the Law in the Belmont Stakes, this year run at 1 1/8 miles.

At Belmont, 1 1/8 miles is run around one turn, whereas at Saratoga it’s run around two turns.

“I can’t explain the last,” said Bill Mott, trainer of Modernist. “I guess you have to say it’s somewhat in his favor going back to two turns because he’s won two-turn races before, although a mile and an eighth is a mile and an eighth.”

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Country Grammer won a 1 1/8-mile maiden race at Aqueduct last November. Since then, he has finished fifth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream and was third behind Mystic Guide in the June 4 allowance. Trainer Chad Brown doesn’t believe Country Grammer cared for the Belmont surface.

“When he got away from Belmont the horse seemed to be much better,” Brown said.

Chestertown, a $2 million New York-bred son of Tapit, finished second in a statebred allowance on June 11. Trainer Steve Asmussen said he is adding blinkers to his equipment for the Peter Pan to help him “run straight.”

Candy Tycoon, a well-beaten second in the Fountain of Youth, is returning from a two-month layoff for Todd Pletcher. Caracaro has not run since winning a maiden race in January at Gulfstream. Mo Hawk and Katzarelli complete the field.

– additional reporting by Mike Welsch