Power Nap: Sandman Gets His Zzzs Then Scores Arkansas Derby

HOT SPRINGS, Ark–With 100 points to be deposited into their 'Road to the Kentucky Derby' account if they had the grit to take the GI Arkansas Derby, Sandman (Tapit) got his zzzs early in the race, then emerged from his power nap, rested and ready to face the rush hour.

A maiden-breaker at second asking back at the Spa in early August, the colt ran through the initial portion of the Derby Trail in the fall where he was fifth in the GIII Iroquois Stakes and then third in the GIII Street Sense Stakes–both at Churchill Downs. Taking a month and a half off, the gray shipped to Oaklawn where he won an optional claimer by 1 3/4 lengths.

Sandman turned three and was well-backed as the favorite in the GIII Southwest Stakes, but his hop at the start allowed Speed King (Volatile) to wire the field. A third-place ending in the GII Rebel Stakes last time out to hero Coal Battle (Coal Front) brought Derby points tally up to 29.

Sent off at 7-2, the Mark Casse trainee was particularly quick out of the gate. However, it was favorite Cornucopian (Into Mischief)–who after winning on debut at Oaklawn and earning a 'TDN Rising Star' badge Feb. 23–blazed into the first turn to the outside of Speed King. The pair hooked up and tried to run the rest of the field off their feet. After a scorching :22.46 for the first quarter and a downright torrid :45.21 for the half, the chalk separated himself from his workmate around the far turn.

First turn battle with Cornucopian outside of Speed King | Coady Media

With the pair totally gassed though at the quarter pole, Coal Battle briefly gained the advantage. On the new leader's heels, Sandman was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed within the final furlong marker and ready to fire on all cylinders down the lane. Jockey Jose Ortiz, whose won the GII Fantasy Stakes the race prior with a well-crafted final push aboard Quietside (Malibu Moon), kept his mount from drifting late and sailed home in the irons to the cheers of 68,500 strong.

Trainer Mark Casse said, “I couldn't believe it, actually [early fractions]. I said: 'Well, they'll have to be superstars to keep going.' The farther they went, the more confident I was. As [jockey] Jose [Ortiz] said, he wants to get into a rhythm. And if you can get him into that rhythm, he'll just go. Jose said he didn't take a deep breath when he pulled up.”

Pedigree Notes:

On the same Tapit-Distorted Humor cross as WinStar stallion Constitution, Sandman joins Grade I winners such as Essential Quality, Flightline, Frosted and Untapable. Tapit's tally of graded winners is now 107. A $1.2m OBS March grad, the winner is a half to $1.1m Hill 'n' Dale buy ['24 Fasig-Tipton Winter Sale] She Can't Sing (Bernardini), GSW, $883,558 while their dam sold at the same auction for $375,000.

This is the family of G1 Emirates Airline Dubai World Cup winner and current sire Mystic Guide (Ghostzapper). Sandman's only younger sibling is a 2-year-old half-brother by Into Mischief. Speaking of Into Mischief, he was the sire of the winner of Saturday's other major Derby prep, the GI Curlin Florida Derby, and the victor, Tappan Street, is, like Sandman, out of a daughter of Distorted Humor.

Sandman brought his A game today and takes the G1 Arkansas Derby! 🌹@markcasse trains the son of Tapit and @jose93_ortiz was aboard!

🎥 TwinSpiresReplay pic.twitter.com/hZItobjVhf

— TwinSpires Racing 🏇 (@TwinSpires) March 30, 2025

Saturday, Oaklawn
ARKANSAS DERBY-GI, $1,500,000, Oaklawn, 3-29, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:50.08, ft.
1–SANDMAN, 121, c, 3, by Tapit
            1st Dam: Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor
            2nd Dam: Music Room, by Unbridled's Song
            3rd Dam: Note Musicale (GB), by Sadler's Wells
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE
I WIN. ($1,200,000 2yo '24 OBSMAR). O-D. J. Stable LLC, St.
Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables;
B-Lothenbach Stables Inc (KY); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Jose L. Ortiz.
$810,000. Lifetime Record: 8-3-1-2, $1,254,595. *1/2 to She
Can't Sing (Bernardini), GSW, $883,558. Werk Nick Rating: A.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Publisher, 121, c, 3, American Pharoah–Indian Pride,
by Proud Citizen. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE,
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($600,000 Ylg '23 FTSAUG). O-Gus King
and Estate of Brereton C. Jones; B-Brereton C. Jones (KY);
T-Steven M. Asmussen. $270,000.
3–Coal Battle, 124, c, 3, Coal Front–Wolfblade, by Midshipman.
1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($70,000 Ylg '23 TTAYRL). O-Norman
Stables LLC; B-Hume Wornall & Jay Adcock (KY); T-Lonnie
Briley. $135,000.
Margins: 2HF, 4HF, 1HF. Odds: 3.70, 7.60, 3.10.
Also Ran: Cornucopian, Brereton's Baytown, Speed King, Monet's Magic, Bestfriend Rocket, First Division.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.