Mystic Park (NZ) Stars in Stewards’ Stakes

Exciting sprinter Mystic Park (NZ) (Ocean Park) faced his first black-type test in Saturday’s $140,000 Listed Lindauer Stewards’ Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton, and his performance left no doubt that he belongs at that level.

Mystic Park was a $40,000 purchase by trainers Michael and Matthew Pitman from Book 1 of Karaka 2021. His 12-start career has now produced seven wins, three placings and $237,170 in stakes – almost six times his purchase price.

The five-year-old had a few factors against him in the Stewards’ Stakes. He was carrying a 59-kilogram topweight against a talented field that was mostly on 53 kilograms, and he had an interrupted run when trying to make up ground from well back in the field down the home straight.

But Mystic Park handled everything that the race threw at him and he just kept coming, diving through alongside last week’s Listed Pegasus Stakes (1000m) winner Illicit Dreams (NZ) (Vancouver) to win by a head.

“He’s a proper horse,” jockey Sam Weatherley said. “He had no real right to win that. He’s not really at home on that ground, he was stopped in his tracks a couple of times in the straight, and he was carrying 59 kilograms and giving six kilos to most of the field. It was a huge effort.

“It’s a great training performance from the Pitmans as well. It was pretty bold to give him just the one run back in August and then wait for today. They have bigger ambitions up north later in the season, and I’m sure he’ll do them proud.

“These Pitman colours mean a lot to me. They’ve been big supporters of mine all the way through. I’m thrilled to get a big winner for them during Cup Week.”

According to the Pitman stable, Mystic Park could be one of the best sprinters to race in those red and white colours.

“We were offered huge money by the Ciaron Maher stable when he won his first start, but we didn’t sell him,” Michael Pitman said.

“The times he’s run, he’s as good as any horse around. We’ve still got to prove that, of course, but that’s what we believe.

“He almost got knocked over twice in the straight today and still got up to win. He’s a good horse.”

Runner-up Illicit Dreams is also a Karaka graduate and was bought by Rae Racing for $30,000 from Book 2 of Karaka 2022. She has now earned $207,515 from a 20-race career that has produced five wins and nine placings.

Vendor	Kilgravin Lodge
Purchaser	Mr M Pitman (Canterbury)
Breeding	Ocean Park – Spirit Of Karlu
Sale	Lot 140, Karaka 2021 Book 1, $40,000
Bred by	Weowna Park Ltd & S Y S Yan