Arkansas Derby Stakes Recap

By Robert Yates —-

Coady Media
$1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1)

HOT SPRINGS, AR – All he needed was a lightning-fast pace to finally put his rivals to sleep.

Sandman scored his breakthrough stakes victory Saturday afternoon at Oaklawn, rolling to a 2 1/2-length victory over Publisher in the $1.5 million Arkansas Derby (G1) before an estimated crowd of 68,500.

Seventh after a half-mile, 13 ½ lengths behind, Sandman ($9.40) made his winning move on the second turn, inhaling the two leg-weary front-runners, Cornucopian and Speed King, as well as Coal Battle approaching the top of the stretch.

Sandman, under Jose Ortiz, took command on the outside turning for home and wasn’t threatened late, despite lugging out near the eighth pole.

Publisher, a now-seven-race maiden who was racing in blinkers for the first time, finished 4 ½ lengths ahead of millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Coal Battle. It was another 1 ½ lengths farther back in fourth to 4-5 favorite Cornucopian, who was making his stakes and two-turn debut in just his second career start. Brereton’s Baytown, Speed King, Monet’s Magic, Bestfriend Rocket and First Division completed the order of finish.

Cornucopian and Southwest winner Speed King dueled through exhausting splits of :22.46 for the opening quarter-mile, :45.21 for a half-mile and 1:10.37 for 6 furlongs. Neither survived. Late-running Sandman, however, thrived. His winning time over a fast track was 1:50.08.

Sandman represented the second Arkansas Derby victory for dual Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, who also won the race in 2017 with champion Classic Empire. Sandman was making his fifth stakes appearance. He finished a troubled second in the $1 million Southwest Stakes (G3) Jan. 25 and was third as the favorite in the $1.25 million Rebel Stakes (G2) Feb. 23. Both 1 1/16-mile races were at Oaklawn.

Sandman collected 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points for the victory, his third in eight lifetime starts. A gray son of super sire Tapit, Sandman raised his lifetime earnings to $1,254,595.

A $1.2 million OBS March Two-Year-Old in Training purchase, Sandman races for D. J. Stable, St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds and CJ Stables.

ARKANSAS DERBY QUOTES

WINNING TRAINER MARK CASSE (SANDMAN): “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. The faster they went, the more I smiled. I think that (lugging out in the stretch and still winning by 2 ½ lengths) just shows how good he is. He wasn’t focusing and he was still able to draw away. 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.”

WINNING JOCKEY JOSE ORTIZ (SANDMAN): “We knew back then (Grade 3 Iroquois Sept. 14 at Churchill Downs) that he wasn’t a one-turn horse. I was a little sad that I lost him because he came this way. But very excited to get him back. Today, a mile and an eighth, he’s proved that the two turns is his game. Very happy, very excited. Kentucky Derby – here we (come). He was a little shy from the whip from the left hand. I could see that from the replays the last time. I tried one time and didn’t try it again. So, he was rolling.”

SECOND-PLACE TRAINER STEVE ASMUSSEN (PUBLISHER): “I’m very pleased with the progression he’s made. I love the class of that horse. I mean, he is meant for a big day. He is classy and calm. Wastes zero energy doing anything he shouldn’t be doing. Top class horse. (Did blinkers help?). I was hoping he would be a little bit closer, but he kind of got squeezed away from there again. You know what? With the pace scenario, we got a good trip. Winner outran us. At the head of the stretch, I’d have picked us and we ended up second. I’m very proud of how he ran and we need to find more.”

THIRD-PLACE JOCKEY JUAN VARGAS (COAL BATTLE): “I think one thing that hurt my horse this time was he was very aggressive – like never before. I know he broke well from the gate, but this time he was very aggressive. I had to fight the horse and I think that cost me the race, for sure. If he had settled down, like normally he does, it was a perfect race for him. This time, I had to fight him a lot. You can’t fight him.”

THIRD-PLACE TRAINER LONNIE BRILEY (COAL BATTLE): “He was a little too fresh today. And you always think about the drawing board, going back to it. But in the paddock, he was a little anxious and stuff. So, I was worried about that today. He ran a good race. He ran third and Sandman had been coming from behind, so we knew that he would be a factor. When they added the blinkers to Publisher, he’s a good horse and he ran big. He (Coal Battle) ran good against some good horses. We’ll have another shot at them soon.”

FOURTH-PLACE JOCKEY JOHN VELAZQUEZ (CORNUCOPIAN): “Nothing else you can say. We went fast.”

$750,000 Fantasy (G2)

A two-horse race on paper played out that way as Quietside edged Simply Joking by three-quarters of a length to win the $750,000 Fantasy Stakes (G2) for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.

The Fantasy marked the record 40th career Oaklawn stakes victory for Arkansas lumberman John Ed Anthony, who bred and races Quietside under his Shortleaf Stable banner. The late John Franks, a four-time Eclipse Award winner as North America’s outstanding owner, won 39 stakes races at Oaklawn, the last coming in 2000.

Quietside, the 3-5 favorite, collected 100 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points for the victory, her third in seven lifetime starts. Trained by John Ortiz, the daughter of Malibu Moon has earned $957,200.

Simply Joking, who entered unbeaten in two career starts, grabbed the early lead from post 6 under Jaime Torres and set modest fractions of :23.89 for the opening quarter-mile, :48.09 for a half-mile and 1:12.10 for 6 furlongs. Quietside, on the outside, was glued to Simply Joking from the start and finally took the lead in the upper stretch. Quietside ($3.20) edged away late from a stubborn Simply Joking to complete 1 1/16 miles over a fast track in 1:44.31.

Simply Joking, the 3-1 second choice, finished 8 ¾ lengths ahead of Runnin N Gunnin, who was followed, in order, by Princess Em Too, Kinzie Queen, Princess Aliyah, California Sunset, Necessity and Baytown Butterfly.

Quietside was exiting a one-length victory in the $500,000 Honeybee Stakes (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 23 at Oaklawn. The Honeybee was Anthony’s record-tying 39th career Oaklawn stakes victory.

FANTASY QUOTES

WINNING TRAINER JOHN ORTIZ (QUIETSIDE): “We were very confident coming in here, but you’ve got to give credit where credit’s due. Whit’s (Whit Beckman, trainer of Simply Joking) has done a fantastic job with his filly. She hasn’t run in a while and to come down and battle us like that with a filly … good job Whit. Very proud of his team. I thought she showed some great fight today. That’s what’s horse racing is about. I feel like we’re having a horse peaking at the right time.”

WINNING JOCKEY JOSE ORTIZ (QUIETSIDE): “She broke well, alert, that’s what I wanted. Simply Joking, I knew she was taking an easy lead, but I was right on top of her. I tried to make it a two-horse race and try to apply pressure at the right time. And I think I did just that. But she kept on going. Tough filly. Nice filly, there. They put on a show and I’m very happy we came out a winner. We came out on top, but that doesn’t take anything away from the other horse. She’s a nice filly. I got in front just past the three-sixteenths (pole), going to the eighth pole. I put a head in front, but the other filly kept fighting. (Simply Joking jockey) Jaime (Torres) floated me a little bit wide, but he did his job. It was all legal. I came back in. I pushed him back in when I put a half a length in front of her. It was a very beautiful race. Two nice fillies. They put up a show and I’m very happy that we came out on top.”

SECOND-PLACE JOCKEY JAIME TORRES (SIMPLY JOKING): “Nobody wanted to go. My filly broke beautifully, so I just went down to the rail and let her slow down a little bit. At the end, I had a lot of horse. Quietside was just better today. The rail has not been good today, so I tried to get outside down the stretch. My filly is just green and it was hard for me to keep her outside and fight with the other horse, but it’s OK.”