By Stefanie Grimm
Talk about a tried and true stakes horse. Since breaking her maiden at Woodbine in Sept. 2023, Mystic Lake (Mo Town) has contested nothing but stakes or graded stakes races and, with her win in Saturday's GII Inside Information Stakes, has earned over $1,000,000 while also winning such races as the GIII Miss Preakness Stakes and the GII Charles Town Oaks both last year. 5 3/4 lengths behind Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in the 1 1/16-mile GI Cotillion Stakes at Parx in September, the daughter of Mo Town got back on track when cutting back to six furlongs to take the listed Sugar Swirl Stakes when last seen Dec. 21.
Clearly back in her distance wheelhouse Saturday as the 2-1 second choice, Mystic Lake was drawn inside of her main rival in 4-5 favorite Emery (More Than Ready) and the pair broke on top together with 8-1 shot Olivia Darling (Palace) splitting the two through the opening quarter in :22.94. The compact field of just five never got too far apart with the trio of leaders blocking Jody's Pride (American Pharoah) in behind them with Haulin Ice the back marker into the far turn. Mystic Lake, closest to the rail of the leaders past the half in :45.69, had to hold her ground as Jody's Pride found a gap to move into as Olivia Darling dropped back and it was still three across the track as the sprinters turned for home. Emery looked to be beaten furthest out with Mystic Lake along the rail having to fight Jody's Pride but the final sixteenth saw the favorite level out and make things tight on the wire with Mystic Lake just prevailing in a driving three-way finish.
Pedigree Note:
One of 13 stakes winners for Mo Town, who continues Uncle Mo's legacy as a sire of sires, Mystic Lake is the first and only reported foal out of an unraced Itsmyluckyday first dam. After selling as a 2-year-old at OBS March for $130,000 in 2023, the winner RNA'd last May for $370,000 just days before her success in the Miss Preakness Stakes.
In another nail-biting photo finish, MYSTIC LAKE (Mo Town) digs in and fights back to secure victory in the GII Inside Information Stakes at @GulfstreamPark on @PegasusWorldCup Day! 😤pic.twitter.com/W92rtXw52B
— TDN (@theTDN) January 25, 2025
Saturday, Gulfstream
INSIDE INFORMATION S. PRESENTED BY MYRACEHORSE-GII, $208,000, Gulfstream, 1-25, 4yo/up, f/m, 7f, 1:22.59, ft.
1–MYSTIC LAKE, 123, f, 4, by Mo Town
1st Dam: Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday
2nd Dam: Pyramyst, by Pyramid Peak
3rd Dam: Almost Mystical, by General Assembly
($3,500 Ylg '22 OBSOCT; $130,000 2yo '23 OBSMAR; $370,000
RNA 3yo '24 FTDMAY). O-C2 Racing Stable LLC and Stefania
Farms LLC; B-Peggy Costanzo (FL); T-Saffie A. Joseph, Jr.; J-Irad
Ortiz, Jr. $132,000. Lifetime Record: 14-7-3-1, $1,033,354.
Werk Nick Rating: F.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Emery, 123, f, 4, More Than Ready–Athena, by Street Sense.
($235,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV). O-Stonestreet Stables LLC;
B-Mary K. Grum (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
3–Jody's Pride, 120, f, 4, American Pharoah–Jody's Song,
by Scat Daddy. O-Parkland Thoroughbreds and Sportsmen
Stable; B-Mr. Steve Weston (KY); T-Jorge R. Abreu. $20,000.
Margins: NK, HD, 10. Odds: 2.20, 1.00, 7.10.
Also Ran: Olivia Darling, Haulin Ice. Scratched: Dazzling Move, Miuccia, Nic's Style, Sterling Silver.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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