Mo Town’s Mystic Lake Earns First Stakes Victory

The second half of a Coolmore-sired stakes double on the Tampa Bay Downs card, Grade III-placed Mystic Lake (3f Mo Town x Salty Soul, by Itsmyluckyday) earned her first stakes victory in the Gasparilla Stakes.

Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr. for C2 Racing Stable and Stefania Farms, the 3-year-old bumped another rival at the break of the seven furlong dirt race before quickly recovering. She raced to the lead and registered a steady pace as the race favorite, never undergoing serious pressure down the backstretch.

It was in the far turn that rivals started coming for her but she was determined to get to the wire first and held off Gorgeous Girl by three-quarters of a length at the line.

Placing in the top three in all three of her stakes starts and off the board in only one of her career starts, the Peggy Costanzo-bred is the earner of $117,446.

She is the first foal out of Salty Soul, who is a half sister to four winners from four to race. Her stakes placed dam Pyramyst won 23 times herself and produced 14-time winner Small Town Hero among her runners. Pyramyst’s dam is the dam of eight winners from eight to race with her other foals including 10-time winner and stakes winner Storm Tale and eight-time winner Crown Myst.

By sire-of-sires Uncle Mo, Mo Town is the sire of eight stakes winners and 18 stakes performers from his first two crops led by four graded stakes winners.