Photo:

Ryan Thompson / Gulfstream Park

Hallandale Beach, Fla.

Trainer Ken McPeek hopes to see what exercise rider Robby Albarado feels with Mystik Dan in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

Based on a series of strong morning gallops and two bullet works at Gulfstream, Albarado said the energy the 4-year-old son of Goldencents is displaying is reminiscent of what he showed before he pulled his Kentucky Derby upset at 18-1.

“I feel he’s coming into this race just as good as he did before the Kentucky Derby,” said the retired jockey who serves as a key member of McPeek’s team. “He’s pulling hard. He’s wanting to train. He’s had a couple of really nice works.”

Of 35 workers at five furlongs Jan. 11 at Gulfstream, no one topped Mystik Dan’s clocking of 59.48 seconds. He again led the work tab for that distance seven days later. Clockers caught him in 59.95 seconds, fastest of nine.

Still, McPeek sounds unsure about what to expect when his faltering Derby champ faces the likes of 6-year-old White Abarrio, a three-time Grade 1 winner with back-to-back triumphs in the Whitney and the Breeders’ Cup Classic in 2023.

“It’s a challenge going from racing 3-year-olds to older horses. It’s still a very ambitious race for him,” he said of the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus. “We’ll have to see how he fits with these older horses. Let’s hope he does well and go from there.”

Mystik Dan followed his Derby surprise with a solid second in the Preakness. He was not the same horse, though, when he lagged eighth of 10 in the Belmont, trailing victorious Dornoch by 15 3/4 lengths. That dismal performance resulted in an office visit to highly regarded veterinarian Dr. Larry Bramlage. He prescribed a period of rest and relaxation.

McPeek, seeking one last shot against 3-year-olds, chose the Grade 1 Malibu, going seven furlongs at Del Mar, for his comeback race Dec. 26. The colt might have been in trouble even before he entered the starting gate. His journey to Del Mar involved a seemingly endless van ride from Fair Grounds at New Orleans.

He wound up last of six, 11 1/4 lengths in arrears of Raging Torrent. That outcome was as perplexing as the Belmont, which was run at 1 1/4 miles last June at Saratoga while a new Belmont Park is under construction.

“I’m surprised that he didn’t run any better. We thought we had him pretty well prepared for it,” the trainer said. “But the logistics of the trip were maybe too much for him to overcome.”

McPeek described the Malibu misadventure as “humbling.” He added, “It’s never easy in this game.”

The Pegasus could go a long way toward determining how ambitiously Mystik Dan is placed the rest of the season. “He needs to step forward and be competitive,” McPeek said.

He already has a secondary plan in mind. “We can always step back. There are really great races in Arkansas, where the owner is based,” he noted. The April 19 Oaklawn Handicap (G2) is viewed as a potential target.

McPeek always will be indebted to Mystik Dan and Thorpedo Anna. When Mystik Dan displayed tremendous heart to prevail in a frantic three-horse Derby photo finish the day after Thorpedo Anna coasted in the Kentucky Oaks (G1), it allowed him to become the first trainer to complete the Oaks-Derby sweep in the same season since “Plain Ben” Jones in 1952.

McPeek is slowly picking up the pace with Thorpedo Anna’s training for her highly anticipated 4-year-old campaign. Ideally, he would like for her to use the March 8 Azeri (G2) as a prep for the $1.25 million Apple Blossom (G1) on April 12. Both races are at Oaklawn Park. He emphasized that he is prepared to forego the Azeri if preparations for that start begin to feel rushed.