MYSTIK DAN’S pedigree is about as close to an outcross as you can get these days. You have to go back numerous generations to find that Northern Dancer appears a few times in the pedigree of broodmare sire Colonel John, and six generations on his sire Goldencents’ side to see Raise a Native twice.
GOLDENCENTS is well known to Canadians, in particular Manitoba horsepeople, as he is a son of Manitoba-bred mare GOLDEN WORKS who comes from a line of horses bred by the late Phil Kives.
In 2013, Goldencents was all over the news in Winnipeg as he won the Santa Anita Derby (G1) and competed in the Kentucky Derby (G1) but he finished 17th. Later Goldencents would go on to win consecutive renewals of the Breeders’ Cup Mile (G1). He was trained by Doug O’Neil.
Goldencents stands at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington for a fee of $10,000. He was bred to a staggering 230 mares in 2021 (leading all sires in North America) and 204 in 2020. He has sired about 26 black-type winners including millionaire By My Standards.
Goldencents essentially put Into Mischief on the map and his Canadian breeding is a source of price for Manitoba.
From author Bob Gates, a note about Goldencents’ granddam BODY WORKS, a daughter of Ontario stallion BOLD RUCKUS:
Much of his [Goldencents’] talent came from his grandmother, who was the fastest mare to have raced at Assiniboia Downs since 1990, the year in which North American race tracks adopted a uniform way of measuring a horse’s speed. Racing from 1991-95, Body Works won 13 stakes races including the Manitoba Matron and Assiniboia Oaks, the top two stakes at Assiniboia Downs for female horses.
Before dying in a tragic accident in Kentucky, Body Works gave birth to Golden Works who, in turn, Kives sold to Kentucky interests, and she gave birth to Goldencents. Body Works was in foal again, Kives said, when she was spooked by a helicopter flying overhead and ran into another horse, breaking her neck.
While Body Works was by Bold Ruckus, a longtime leading sire in Ontario, she was also out of a Canadian-bred mare, KINTO, by Ontario sire KINSMAN HOPE.
Ivan Thrasher bred Kinto in Ontario and she won 13 races from 46 starts and over $100,000. She raced for Kives and trainer Sandy McPherson.
Kinto is a daughter of Bill Beasley’s Canadian-bred star HIDDEN TREASURE (Dark Star), who won 19 stakes races including the Breeders’. Kinto’s dam, Where To, was bred in Ontario by John Beer and while she was unraced, Where To’s sister MOSTLY SUNNY produced the great Canadian-bred SUNNY’S HALO, the 1980 Kentucky Derby winner.
MYSTIK DAN’S dam, MA’AM, raced for his owner/breeders Lance Gasaway, the 4G Stable and Daniel Hamby III, all from Arkansas. Ma’am is a daughter of the Tiznow stallion Colonel John and from the Siphon (Brz) mare lady Siphonica.
On the track, Ma’am was trained by McPeek and Brad Cox and she won four of 23 starts and $167,923. She liked Churchill Downs and route distances.
Mystik Dan is the first foal of Ma’am. She has a two-year-old filly by Unified, named Yes Ma’am, a Knicks Go yearling filly named Ford’s Ma’am, and was in foal to Wells Bayou for 2024.
Ma’am’s dam, Lady Siphonica, won once in eight races and she has produced five other winners. Third dam CHEROKEE CROSSING is the dam of Hollywood Futurity winner SIPHONIC and Queen Stakes winner Mountain Girl.
Body Works, by Bold Ruckus, won 13 stakes races and she was bred in Manitoba by Phil Kives. (Assiniboia Downs photo)
Goldencents, sire of Mystik Dan.
Mystik Dan. (Churchill Downs media)
TALE OF THE [MYSTIK] TAPE:
Three of Mystik Dan’s owners are based in Arkansas. And all three were in the Derby for the first time as owners.
Lance Gasaway is part of the University of Arkansas at Monticello’s athletics Hall of Fame after a stellar career as a wide receiver, hauling in 113 passes for 1,605 yards and 12 touchdowns. He earned honorable-mention NAIA Division I All-American honors in 1985 and also was a two-time first-team All-Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference selection (1984 and 1985). Per Daily Racing Form, he bought his first race horse “about 15 years ago” at his home track, Oaklawn.
Brent Gasaway runs 4G Racing with his wife, Sharilyn.
And Mystik Dan gets his name from Hamby’s father, whose name is Dan, and his first business was selling Mystik Tape adhesive.
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