'The horse is doing fantastic' - Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan to tackle second leg of Triple Crown in Preakness Stakes

Kentucky Derby hero Mystik Dan will have his sights set on landing the iconic Triple Crown after pleasing trainer Kenny McPeek on the gallops.

The three-year-old, who edged out Sierra Leone at Churchill Downs, will tackle the $2 million Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico on Saturday, the middle leg of the Triple Crown, which concludes with next month's Belmont Stakes.

"The horse is doing fantastic," McPeek told Bloodhorse. "I've already arranged the logistics of it all, I just need to hammer it out with all the small details."

Retired jockey Robby Albarado, who gallops Mystik Dan, said after the workout at Churchill Downs: "He felt great. I thought every day would be a progression for him, and it is. He's coming back to himself. He's starting to get back into that race mode right now.

"Today I let him stretch his legs a little bit down the lane. He was comfortable doing it."

Mystik Dan made it two wins in four starts when successful in the Kentucky Derby on May 4, having also scored in the Grade 3 Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park on his second outing for McPeek.

Albarado will make the trip to Pimlico, and added: "He's so aware of where the stretch is. You don't have to move on him, he picks it up on his own. That's a sign of good horses, they know their surroundings and where they're at. That's the advantage of going up to Pimlico this early."

The Bob Baffert-trained pair of Arkansas Derby winner Muth and San Felipe Stakes scorer and Santa Anita Derby second Imagination could be among Mystik Dan's opposition.

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