Mystik Dan works (5F in a minute flat) for Stephen Foster; Derby City 6 Jackpot at $786K

Today’s Churchill Downs barn update by Kevin Kerstein (Coady Media/Madison Becker photo of Mystik Dan winning the G3 Blame Stakes under Brian Hernandez Jr.)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sunday, June 15, 2025) – Kentucky Derby 150 winner Mystik Dan returned to the Churchill Downs work tab Sunday with a five-furlong breeze in 1:00 under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., preparing for a likely start in the $1 million Stephen Foster (Grade I) on Saturday, June 28.

Mystik Dan, who won the Blame Stakes (GIII) on May 31, breezed at 7:15 a.m. He began his move with a three-furlong split of :36.80 before galloping out six furlongs in 1:12, according to Churchill Downs clocker John Nichols.

Owned by 4 G Racing, Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby and Valley View Farm, Mystik Dan is one of two horses trained by Kenny McPeek nominated to the Stephen Foster. The other, allowance winner and 1 1/8-mile track record-holderGould’s Gold, also worked Sunday, covering five furlongs in 1:00.20.

Twenty horses were nominated to the 1 1/8-mile Stephen Foster, including Sierra Leone, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (GI); Hit Show, winner of the Dubai World Cup (GI); and Mindframe, who was victorious in the Churchill Downs Stakes (GI) on the Kentucky Derby undercard.

The Stephen Foster headlines a blockbuster weekend to close the 2025 Spring Meet. Saturday’s card includes five additional stakes:

• The $500,000 Fasig-Tipton Fleur de Lis (GII) for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles
• The $500,000 Wise Dan (GII) for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf
• The $250,000 Kelly’s Landing (GIII) for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs
• The $250,000 American Derby (Listed) for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on turf
• The $250,000 Tepin (Listed) for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on turf

Sunday’s closing day program will feature five stakes:

• The $300,000 Hansin presented by JRA (Listed) for 4-year-olds and up at one mile
• The $250,000 Maxfield (Listed) for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs
• The $225,000 Bashford Manor (Listed) for 2-year-olds at six furlongs
• The $225,000 Debutante (Listed) for 2-year-old fillies at six furlongs
• The $175,000 Anchorage Overnight Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf

Entries for Stephen Foster Day will be taken Saturday, June 21. Closing day entries will be drawn Sunday, June 22. For a full list of nominations, visit: www.equibase.com/premium/eqbHorsemenAraSNHW.cfm?trk=CD.

DERBY CITY 6 JACKPOT STANDS AT $786,174 – Sunday’s 20-cent Derby City 6 Jackpot has grown to a massive $786,174 for the sequence beginning in Race 5.

Sunday’s sequence: (with field size as of 10:30 a.m.)

• Race 5 (2:45 p.m.): Alw 127000n2x, 3&up, 7 ½ F (six runners)
• Race 6 (3:18 p.m.): MSW, 3&up, 1 M (T) (12 runners)
• Race 7 (3:50 p.m.): Clm 25000, f&m, 1 M (six runners)
• Race 8 (4:22 p.m.): OC 80000n3x, f&m, 6 ½ F (six runners)
• Race 9 (4:55 p.m.): Alw 127000n2x, f&m, 5 ½ F (T) (nine runners)
• Race 10 (5:26 p.m.): Clm 12500, 4&up, 6 F (eight runners)

          The Derby City 6 Jackpot tests bettors to correctly select all six winners, and if they have the only winning combination, they will take down the entire jackpot. If there are multiple winning combinations, 90 percent of the day’s pool is paid out with the other 10 percent going to the carryover. If there are no correct combinations, the entire day’s pool will be added to the jackpot.          

Horseplayers can wager on the Derby City 6 Jackpot, and every race from Churchill Downs, on www.twinspires.com, the official wagering provider of Churchill Downs Incorporated. 

DOWNS AFTER DARK: A CARIBBEAN NIGHT AT THE RACES – Churchill Downs will host the final Downs After Dark of the Spring Meet on Saturday, featuring the theme: A Caribbean Night at the Races.

The 11-race program will begin at 6 p.m. (all times Eastern) and is highlighted by the $300,000 Chicago Stakes (Grade II), slated as Race 9 at 10:11 p.m.

Entertainment throughout the evening will include dance lessons with Cari’Fete Afro-Caribbean Dance Movement, an airbrush station by Bluegrass Airbrush, palm readings under the Twin Spires, a sunset send-off with fire dancers and stilt walkers and a beachside limbo contest.

Ben Bernhard will bring the island vibes to the stage starting at 5 p.m., followed by DJ Brandon Lee spinning coastal country music beginning at 8 p.m.

Guests are encouraged to wear bright colors, breezy fabrics and bold accessories.

Tickets are available at www.churchilldowns.com.

DOWN THE STRETCH – Jockey Corey Lanerie needs five wins to tie and six to surpass Calvin Borel for the second all-time leading rider in Churchill Downs history. Borel currently holds the No. 2 spot with 1,232 victories. Pat Day is the all-time record holder with 2,482 victories. … For more information about the Churchill Downs Spring Meet, visit www.churchilldowns.com.