Sandman trainer, jockey, owner and more to know about 2025 Kentucky Derby horse
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Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Sandman's trainer Mark Casse
Trainer Mark Casse says Kentucky Derby 2025 contender Sandman will like the length of the Derby's 1 ¼-mile race.
Sandman will enter the Kentucky Derby off a win in the Arkansas Derby on March 29
Sandman raced three times as a 2-year-old at Churchill Downs, finishing third in the Grade 3 Street Sense
Sandman is one of 20 horses expected to enter the 2025 Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.
Spots for the Run for the Roses are earned by gaining points through a series of Kentucky Derby prep races that began last September.
The post-position draw for the Kentucky Derby is set for Saturday, April 26. Post time for the Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Sandman will enter the Kentucky Derby off a victory in the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 29 at Oaklawn Park. He currently ranks second on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 129.
Color: Gray/roan.
Bred in: Kentucky.
Sire: Tapit.
Dam: Distorted Music, by Distorted Humor.
Price tag: $1.2 million at 2024 Ocala Breeders' March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training.
Owners: D.J. Stable (Leonard Green); St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola); West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley); CJ Stables (Charles Sonson). Second Derby for D.J. Stable, which was seventh with Helium in 2021. St. Elias is 1 for 4 in the Derby, winning with Always Dreaming in 2017. West Point is 1 for 7 in the Derby, winning with Always Dreaming in 2017. First Derby for CJ Stables.
Trainer: Mark Casse. He's 0 for 10 in the Derby, best finish coming with Classic Empire (fourth) in 2017.
Jockey: Jose Ortiz. He's 0 for 9 in the Derby, best finish coming with Good Magic (second) in 2018.
Record: 3-1-2 in eight starts.
Career earnings: $1,254,595.
Road to the Kentucky Derby points: 129 (No. 2).
Last race: Won Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on March 29 at Oaklawn Park by 2 ½ lengths over Publisher.
Running style: Closer.
Notes: Sandman raced three times at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old, his best finish a third-place showing in the Grade 3 Street Sense on Oct. 27. He has a 1-1-2 record in five career graded stakes. … This will be the first Derby for Casse since 2021, when he finished seventh with Helium and 18th with Soup and Sandwich. … Viola is the owner of the National Hockey League's Florida Panthers and was President Trump's nominee for U.S. Secretary of the Army in 2017 before withdrawing from consideration, citing business conflicts.
What they're saying: 'He actually surprised me how quickly he bounced back out of that race,' Casse said of the Arkansas Derby. '(Jockey Jose Ortiz) told me after the race when he pulled him up, 'He didn't take a deep breath.' … Hopefully everything goes well this month up to the Derby. I think you're going to see a better horse in the (Kentucky) Derby than you saw in the Arkansas Derby.'
Last May, NBC Sports announced a partnership with Churchill Downs to present the Kentucky Derby on NBC and Peacock through 2032.
The extension includes multiplatform rights to the Kentucky Derby, Kentucky Oaks and Derby and Oaks Day programming, which will be presented on NBC, Peacock, USA Network and additional NBCU platforms.
You can stream the 2025 Kentucky Derby on Fubo and Peacock.
Post time for the 151st Kentucky Derby is set for 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, May 3.
Jason Frakes: 502-582-4046; jfrakes@courier-journal.com. Follow on X @KentuckyDerbyCJ.
More Kentucky Derby coverage: Which horses are in or on bubble for May 3 Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs?
This story was updated to add a video.
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