Shreveport natives celebrate after their horse, 'Mystik Dan' wins 150th Kentucky Derby

LITTLE ROCK, AR (KSLA) – “We were stopped at this place to get gas. I still had on my Mystik Dan shirt and stuff. These three young girls are in a car sitting next to us, and they asked, ‘Are you the trainer of ‘Mystik Dan’?’

It turns out the young ladies were chatting with one of the part owners of Mystik Dan. Captain Shreve High School and Louisiana Tech graduate, Sharilyn Gasaway had a weekend she’ll never forget, following her thoroughbred’s photo-finish in the 150th Kentucky Derby.

“The Sierra Leone people were standing right next to us, because they were the No. 2 horse and we were the No. 3 horse,” says Gasaway. “They starting yelling. Then you saw them quit yelling. Then, all of a sudden we were yelling. So, I don’t know who told us, ‘yes,’ because after we were jumping up and down, ‘Are we sure, because we’re not up!”

Despite finishing third in the Arkansas Derby a month prior, Gasaway still had faith in her three-year old colt.

“He got hit on the backside,” says Gasaway. “That horse got disqualified, and it took him back five to 10 links, where he was. For him to make up and be third, it’s pretty amazing. So, I really felt like he could do it, if he had a good clean trip.”

Mystik Dan overcame 18-to-1 in the closest three-horse finish since 1947.

“I think everyone thought he won on an off-track, ‘he has to be on an off track to win.’ But, he won convincingly on a fast-track at Churchhill Downs.”

“Even not after getting the result they wanted, hard work and prayer helped Mystik Dan to a supernatural performance in the Kentucky Derby.”

“When he was third in the Arkansas Derby, I remember going, ‘Okay, you know, we need to be first or second so we can go to the [Kentucky] Derby,’” says Gasaway. “It was His way of saying, ‘No, you’re not going to be first or second, you’re going to be third. You’re going to sit there and watch and see how I’m going to do this for you.”

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