Sandman will continue his chase for Kentucky Derby (G1) qualifying points at Oaklawn Park in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) March 29, his dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse confirmed Feb. 28
The 1 1/8-mile Arkansas Derby is Oaklawn's fourth and final Kentucky Derby qualifying race. It will offer 200 total points (100-50-25-15-10) to the top five finishers toward eligibility for the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.
Although Oaklawn-based Sandman ranks sixth on the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 29 points, he's still searching for his first career stakes victory. Sandman collected 15 points for a third-place finish Feb. 23 in the Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn. Sandman, the 5-2 favorite, was beaten 1 3/4 lengths by Coal Battle.
"I thought he ran really well, actually, exceptionally well," Casse said of Sandman. "It helped to be up close. The winner was impressive. The move he made at the (three-eighths pole) was impressive. He's a good horse."
Sandman broke well, but Casse said the Tapit colt lost important momentum going into the first turn and was too far off a hot pace. Madaket Road, the tearaway leader, finished second, one half-length ahead of Sandman, who closed well in deep stretch after racing ninth early under Cristian Torres.
"In my opinion, we lost the race, probably, in the first hundred yards," Casse said. "We got stuck behind (Kenny) McPeek's horse (Hypnus) and made us farther back. We were hoping to be five or six lengths back. Instead, we were 15. I think it was a great effort to only get beat a couple of lengths."
The Rebel was Sandman's fourth stakes start.
Sandman ran fifth in the one-mile, Iroquois Stakes (G3) Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs, third in the 1 1/16-mile Street Sense Stakes (G3) Oct. 27 at Churchill, and second, beaten a length, in the Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 25. The Southwest was Oaklawn's second Kentucky Derby qualifying race.
The Arkansas Derby will be Sandman's first start at 1 1/8 miles.
"Hopefully, the track won't be quite as speed biased," Casse said. "We get an extra sixteenth of a mile. Definitely, the farther the better. We're excited. We just want to get a good effort out of him and then, hopefully, on to Kentucky."
Sandman was bred by the late Robert Lothenbach and sold for $1.2 million at the 2024 Ocala Breeders' Sales March 2-Year-Olds in Training Sale. He is now raced by D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and CJ Stables. He is a half brother to grade 3 winner She Can't Sing (Bernardini) and out of the immediate family of grade 1 winners Music Note and Musical Chimes.
This press release has been edited for content and style by BloodHorse Staff.
