Mystik Bayou wins maiden race at Belmont Park

Mystik Bayou, a half-brother to the 2024 Kentucky Derby winner Mystik Dan, broke his maiden in the opening race at Belmont Park on Saturday. Trained by Kenny McPeek and ridden by jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., the six-to-one shot won the 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight by 4 1/4 lengths on a fast dirt track.

This victory marks the first career win for his sire, Wells Bayou. Mystik Bayou is out of the mare Ma'am, who has produced three winners from three foals to date. The horse is owned by a partnership including Lance Gasaway, Daniel Hamby III, and 4G Racing LLC.

In the same race, Tap Our Way finished second, while Election Hero took third. Mystik Bayou's performance follows previous outings at Saratoga, where he and Tap Our Way finished third and second, respectively, in a race won by U.S.S. Valor.