Compiled by Robert Yates

Outcome aside, dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse said he was ecstatic with Sandman’s performance in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) for 3-year-olds Jan. 25 at Oaklawn.

Sandman spotted the field several lengths at the start after breaking in a tangle, then rallied from last of nine in his 3-year-old debut to finish second, beaten a length by Speed King, under Cristian Torres. 

“I was just happy that he was fine,” Casse said. “I’ve been doing this for a long time and watched a lot of horses run, good horses that could never overcome the break that he had to even hit the board. So, I think: 1) hats off to Cristian. Not really sure how he stayed on and 2) he didn’t panic. He let the horse get himself together and the rest goes to Sandman. I said going in we’re going to find out whether he’s a man or a boy and I think he’s a man.”

The 1 1/16-mile Southwest was Oaklawn’s second of four Kentucky Derby qualifying races. The Southwest allotted 42 total points (20-10-6-4-2, respectively) to the top five finishers toward Kentucky Derby starting eligibility. 

Casse said Sandman will remain at Oaklawn – the trainer has a string in Hot Springs for the first time since 2019 – and point for the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 22. The Rebel is Oaklawn’s final major prep for the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) at 1 1/8 miles March 29.

“He’s one of the reasons I came there,” Casse said. “This is the first time in some time. That was a real interrupted schedule, as well, training. So many things the way he ran were good. We’re staying there. That is our path to the (Kentucky) Derby. It will be the Rebel next.”

Sandman was assigned a career-high 92 Beyer Speed Figure for the Southwest, a three-point improvement over his previous best, which came in a 1 ¾-length allowance victory at 1 mile Dec. 13 at Oaklawn to close his five-race 2-year-old campaign. 

Sandman only had two half-mile workouts in advance of the Southwest after Oaklawn lost more than 10 days of training earlier in January to winter weather.

Despite missed training and a nightmarish start, the Southwest still marked the best stakes finish to date for Sandman, a gray son of Tapit who was purchased for $1.2 million at the OBS March Sale of Two-Year-Olds in training. Sandman ran fifth in the $300,000 Iroquois (G3) at 1 mile Sept. 14 and third in the $200,000 Street Sense (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 27. Both races were at Churchill Downs.

“He did (everything but win) and probably more,” Casse said of the Southwest. “Obviously, you’re disappointed when you miss the opportunity to win a big race, a million-dollar race, but we came away with so many positives that it’s hard to be very disappointed.”

Casse trains Sandman, a career winner of $344,595 off a 2-1-1 record from six starts, for D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables.

Sandman (14 points) ranks 12^th on the official Kentucky Derby leaderboard released late Saturday afternoon by Churchill Downs. 

S

andman galloped 1 ½ miles Sunday morning and will probably work next weekend, said Caden Arthur, who oversees Casse’s Oaklawn division. 

“He came out his race in great shape and we are really looking forward to seeing him run again in the Rebel,” Arthur wrote in a text message. 

Among the horses Sandman could face in the Rebel are Speed King (25 points), Coal Battle (20), who won the $250,000 Smarty Jones Stakes Jan. 4, and Innovator (six). The 1 1/16-mile Smarty Jones was Oaklawn’s first Kentucky Derby qualifying race. Coal Battle has three published workouts at Delta Downs since the Smarty Jones. 

Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert said late last month that “we’ll have something in the Rebel and the Arkansas Derby.” Baffert, who is based in Southern California, has won the Rebel a record eight times. 

The Rebel will offer 105 total points (50-25-15-10-5, respectively) to the top five finishes toward the Kentucky Derby, which is limited to 20 starters.

Bedard, Finally?

Could Monday finally be the day for Bedard?

“Unless something crazy happens, he will be in the starting gate,” co-owner Staton Flurry of Hot Springs said Friday afternoon.

Purchased in November at Keeneland’s Horses of Racing Age Sale, Bedard is scheduled to make his debut for Flurry and trainer Brad Cox in Oaklawn’s featured eighth race, a $130,000 entry-level allowance for older horses at 1 1/8 miles. 

Bedard has been down this road before at Oaklawn.

He was entered to run Dec. 28 (the final nine races were canceled because of rain), Jan. 4 (scratched as an also-eligible), Jan. 12 (racing was canceled because of a winter storm), Jan. 25 (scratched and re-entered Jan. 30) and Jan. 30 (the nine-race card was moved to Monday because of potential heavy rain).

Frustrating or comical?

“Yes to both,” Flurry, Oaklawn’s leading owner last season, said. “It is frustrating because, to me, he’s ready to run. He’s training good. It’s just like every time we enter him, it’s like: ‘OK, what’s going to happen today?’ I’m glad we didn’t run (Thursday), as nasty as the weather was. But geez, what’s next?”

Bedard made his first seven starts in his native Canada, the last being a third-place finish in his dirt debut, the $400,000 Prince of Wales Stakes Sept. 10 at Fort Erie. The 1 3/16-mile Prince of Wales is the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown.

Bedard resurfaced on dirt for his final 2024 start and broke his maiden by 2 ¼ front-running lengths at 1 1/16 miles Oct. 17 at Keeneland. 

Flurry then purchased the 4-year-old gelded son of champion Nyquist and brought in two partners – Hot Springs native Mark Schlesinger and Californian Corey Smith. 

Flurry said he’s had horses with Smith, but it’s the first time to partner with Schlesinger, who co-owned Deputy Commander, a millionaire multiple Grade 1 winner in the late 1990s. 

“I’ve known Mark forever, but we’ve never had a horse together,” Flurry said. “Mark, he’s been on me for a while: ‘Hey, let’s get together. Let’s get something together.’ ”

After buying Bedard, Flurry said he contacted Schlesinger to see if he would be interested in a piece of the gelding. At the time, Flurry said Schlesinger mentioned he was taking a Thanksgiving vacation in the Caribbean with longtime friend J. Paul Reddam, who campaigned Nyquist, the 2016 Kentucky Derby winner. 

Flurry said Schlesinger accepted the offer, adding, “Paul will get a kick out of it” because of the sire. “It all worked out funny, being that it was a Nyquist,” Flurry said. 

Bedard, the 9-5 program favorite, has five published workouts since Dec. 8 at Oaklawn. He drew the rail and two-time Oaklawn riding champion Cristian Torres for the comeback spot. Overall, Bedard has a 1-3-1 record from eight lifetime starts and earnings of $110,461. His first six starts were on synthetic or turf. 

“Talking to the previous connections after we bought him, they said that he hated the (synthetic surface) up there,” Flurry said. “When they got him to dirt, he took a step forward.”

Probable post time for the eighth race is 4:14 p.m. (Central). First post Monday is 12:35 p.m.