It’s been four years since Mark Casse has started a horse in the Kentucky Derby. The Hall of Fame trainer has mixed emotions about having missed the big dance the last three years. “It’s demanding,” Casse said of the road to the Derby. “It’s a lot of holding your breath. You don’t miss that part, but you do miss that part. Ultimately, I’m happy to be there.” And be there with a contender. In Sandman, the Arkansas Derby winner, Casse has a horse that certainly fits the profile of a top contender for Derby 151 on May 3 at Churchill Downs. He has a classic pedigree – a son of Tapit with a bottom side of the pedigree that includes Music Note, an 11-length winner of the then 1 1/4-mile Coaching Club American Oaks. Sandman has made eight starts, equaling the second most in the expected field. He is a Grade 1 winner, having recently captured the Arkansas Derby, and he possesses a strong closing kick. “I think our horse is continuing to get better,” said Casse, who is winless with 10 starters in eight Kentucky Derbies. “Each race has made him better. He goes into the Derby as one of the most experienced horses in the race, which is always important when you have 20 horses. “There aren’t many horses that are going to cherish the mile and a quarter any more than him,” Casse added. “I’m very happy with it.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2025: Top contenders, odds, point standings, news, and more On Wednesday morning, Casse put Sandman through his final pre-Derby workout at Churchill. The good-looking gray, named for the Metallica song “Enter Sandman,” went an easy five furlongs in 1:02.44, per Daily Racing Form clocker Mike Welsch. Sandman’s fitness is not an issue. He has been in action for more than a year. In March 2024, Sandman was purchased out of the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co.’s 2-year-olds in training auction for $1.2 million by a group that includes Len Green’s D. J. Stable, Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable, West Point Thoroughbreds, and Charles Sonson’s CJ Stables. Though Sandman only galloped at that sale, he was already breezing on Casse’s farm by the end of April. Sandman debuted June 27 at Churchill with an uninspiring fifth-place finish as the even-money favorite in a field of seven. Despite how he had worked leading into it, Sandman was a bit “soft,” according to Casse. In August, Sandman won his maiden at Saratoga, but “I wasn’t overjoyed with it,” Casse said. Sandman raced twice in the fall at Churchill, finishing fifth in the Iroquois Stakes and third in the Grade 3 Street Sense. The latter race will produce three Kentucky Derby starters, including one-two finishers Sovereignty, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth winner, and Tiztastic, the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby winner. While many horsemen might have given Sandman a break following the Street Sense. Casse kept going. He ran him in a first-level allowance on Dec. 13 at Oaklawn Park, which he won by 1 3/4 lengths. “Every time I ran him I wanted more, I expected more, and he wasn’t giving it,” Casse said. “Even in the fall when we ran him at Churchill I thought he ran okay [in the Iroquois]. When he ran against [Sovereignty], I thought he ran okay, but he ran very green, so at that point in time we had to make a decision. Do we lay him up for a while or keep going? “He still needed more racing experience. I opted not to give him any time, and that’s when I sent him to Oaklawn.” :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on PPs, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. The allowance win might have been a tipping point for Sandman. He came back in the Grade 3 Southwest on Jan. 25, where he broke inward, nearly unseating rider Cristian Torres, before rallying to finish second to Speed King. Casse said it was that performance where he felt Sandman “went from a boy to a man.” Sent off the favorite in the Grade 2 Rebel, Sandman broke okay but had a horse cross in front of him early on forcing Torres to take a hold and Sandman dropped further back than Casse would have liked. Yet again he was gaining late and was only beaten 1 3/4 lengths. Casse said he came to the Arkansas Derby brimming with confidence even though a lot of the attention was focused on the Bob Baffert debut winner Cornucopian. Under Jose Ortiz, Sandman took advantage of a hot early pace and came with a wide rally that carried him to a 2 1/2-length victory. “I went into the Arkansas Derby as confident as one could be,” Casse said. “Bob’s horse, he would have had to be Secretariat to beat us. There are few Secretariats.” If there is a flaw to Sandman, it’s been his tendency to drift in the stretch, something he has done in his last three races. As witnessed last year with Sierra Leone, who drifted in during a critical stage of the Derby and finished second, beaten a nose, failure to maintain a straight course can mean the difference between winning and losing. “I don’t think he’s fully focused just yet,” Casse said. “I hope he focuses really well on the first Saturday in May. If he does, they’ll have to deal with him.” No doubt, in that final furlong, Casse will be holding his breath. Final field not settled yet With Saturday’s entry day fast approaching, there is still some uncertainty over who will be the 20th horse in the Derby starting gate. :: Get DRF Kentucky Oaks & Derby Clocker Reports by Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team Built currently maintains that spot. His connections appear to be leaning toward the Pat Day Mile on the Derby undercard but have not finalized that plan. If Built doesn’t enter, Neoequos, third-place finisher in the Florida Derby, will get into the race. If Built does enter, and Neoequos would be placed on the also-eligible list, he will not enter and instead be entered in the Grade 1, $1 million American Turf the same day. The connections of Render Judgment appear to be leaning toward an allowance race rather than being an also-eligible for the Kentucky Derby. Baeza, the Santa Anita Derby runner-up, will be entered even if it means he is on the also-eligible list. He was scheduled to ship to Kentucky on Thursday. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.