The 4 year old gray or roan son of Carpet is one of seven competitors in the Feb. 28 Razorback Handicap (G3), a $500,000 test over 1 1/16 miles on Oaklawn Park.
Trained by Mark Casse, Sandman has not been on the board since last year’s Preakness Stakes (G1), where he was third behind Journalism And Gosger . In 2025 at Oaklawn Park, he finished second in the Southwest Stakes (G3) and third in the Rebel Stakes (G2) before landing the Arkansas Derby (G1) by 2 1/2 lengths.
Sandman returned to the Oaklawn work tab on December 12 and has been working steadily five furlongs since December 19, when he worked 1:00 4 on 5. He produced a shot in:59 3/5 December 27 with Cristian Torres in the saddle. The colt ran an easy 1:02 on Jan. 20 before making his first start of the year on Feb. 7 in a 1 1/16-mile race in which he finished fifth with jockey Jose Ortiz. Torres was on board the winner, San Siro in that race, but will accompany Sandman in the Razorback. They leave from the outpost carrying 120 pounds.
As of Feb. 23, Casse leads the Oaklawn trainer standings with more than $2 million in prize money and 18 wins from 45 starts. His runners have finished in the top three in 31 starts.
Stiff competition for Sandman will come from Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Size who is making his 4-year-old debut in the Razorback with trainer Steve Asmussen and Ortiz. Asmussen currently sits second in the leading trainer standings with $1,857,779 in prize money and 26 wins from 142 starts.
The 4 year old son of Not this time last raced on November 28 when he won the 1 1/8 mile Clark Stakes (G2) by half a length at Churchill Downs. Consistency has been the hallmark of Magnitude’s racing career to date, with a record of 5-2-1 through eleven starts and only three off-the-board finishes. Last year he won the Risen Star Stakes (G2) by 9 3/4 lengths and followed with a win in the Iowa Derby by 9 1/4 lengths. He then finished third in the Travers Stakes (G1) and second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) before winning the Clark.
Magnitude wins the 2025 Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs
Magnitude, the favorite on the 9-5 morning line, is the only other millionaire in the field with nearly $1.3 million in earnings to Sandman’s nearly $1.5 million. He will break from post 5 and is the top weight in the field at 123 pounds.
Asmussen has a second starter in the field in Douglas Scharbauer Take advantage of this a 4-year-old gray or roan son of Tapit who comes into the Razorback after a season debut win at Oaklawn. The colt won the The Coach Overnight Stakes by half a length on January 2, earning his first career black-type stakes victory and his fourth victory in 10 career starts.
Tap Into This is ridden from post 1 by Asmussen’s son Erik, who has been on board for two previous starts.
Doubling of stables’ Now what’s new will make his first stakes start, but he enters the Razorback in sharp form with two straight wins at Oaklawn, which gave Equibase Speed Figures similar to Magnitude’s last start. The brown gelding son of Munnings scored his first career victory on December 26 at Oaklawn, winning by 7 1/2 lengths per mile. He followed that effort with a 1 1/16-mile front-end win by 12 1/2 lengths for trainer James Divito. These victories yielded 104 and 109 ESFs respectively.
Now What’s New carried 124 pounds in his last start and has been assigned 115 pounds in the Razorback. He will break from post 4 with jockey Rafael Bejarano in the irons.
Submissions: Razorback H. (G3)
Oaklawn Park, Saturday February 28, 2026, race 10
- Grade III
- 1 1/16m
- Filthy
- $500,000
- 4 years and older
- 5:00 PM (local)
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