2025 AR Derby Day Recap
Compiled by Robert Yates
Contact: Chris Ho, Vice President of Marketing, cho@oaklawn.com, 501-623-4411 ext. 4201
Saturday, March 29, 2025
Photo Credit: Coady Media
SANDMAN - Arkansas Derby G1 - 89th Running
Photo Credit: Coady Media
QUIETSIDE - Fantasy Stakes G2 - 53rd Running
Photo Credit: Coady Media
BANISHING - Oaklawn Mile Stakes G3 - 7th Running
Photo Credit: Coady Media
HAULIN ICE - Matron Stakes - 3rd Running
$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 39thcareer 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.”
$500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3)
HOT SPRINGS, AR – Razor-sharp Banishing outdueled even-money favorite Saudi Crown to win the $500,000 Oaklawn Mile (G3) for older horses.
Providing trainer David Jacobson with his third victory on the card, Banishing ($5.20) finished a length ahead of Saudi Crown, a millionaire Grade 1 winner. It was 9 ½ lengths farther back to The Wine Steward in third. The Oaklawn Mile was the third victory of the meeting for Banishing, a 5-year-old Ghostzapper gelding Jacobson co-owns with Lawrence Roman.
Ridden by Flavien Prat, Banishing stalked Saudi Crown entering the first turn and increased the pressure on the outside passing the half-mile pole. Banishing moved to the lead in the upper stretch and was edging away late to complete the mile over a good surface in 1:36.77. Stout fractions included a :46.01 half-mile and six furlongs in 1:09.68. One-mile races at Oaklawn begin and end at the sixteenth pole in the stretch. Banishing carried equal top weight of 124 pounds, 5 more than Saudi Crown.
Dimatic, Just Steel and I’m McDreamy completed the order of finish. Emmanuel and Payne, a four-time winner this season at Oaklawn, were scratched.
Earlier in the meeting, Banishing beat millionaire multiple Oaklawn stakes winner Tejano Twist in a Dec. 20 allowance race, then, in his stakes debut, won the inaugural $145,000 Byerley Turk by 7 ½ lengths Jan. 25. Both races were six furlongs.
Banishing was exiting a runner-up finish, beaten a head, in the $500,000 Razorback Handicap (G3) at 1 1/16 miles Feb. 23.
The Razorback, which Banishing nearly won in wire-to-wire fashion, was run in a meet-best 1:41.88. Banishing has flourished since Roman purchased the gelding for $80,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s July Horses of Racing Age Sale. Banishing subsequently won two races last fall in Kentucky before shipping to Oaklawn.
Banishing won for the seventh time in 17 starts, lifting his career earnings to $778,804.
OAKLAWN MILE QUOTES
WINNING CO-OWNER/TRAINER DAVID JACOBSON (BANISHING): “Very exciting. It’s like we planned. We weren’t sure whether we were going to be able to go with that horse, Saudi Crown, a fast horse. He set some OK fractions, but Banishing, he just doesn’t give up. He just doesn’t give up. He just lost the (head) bob last time. We got it back this time.”
WINNING JOCKEY FLAVIEN PRAT (BANISHING): “He’s never very good out of the gate, but today he jumped well and I
was able to stalk Saudi Crown. I felt like I was going well down the backside. He gave me a great effort.”
SECOND-PLACE JOCKEY FLORENT GEROUX (SAUDI CROWN): “He ran hard. Just got beat. The winner ran a great race. He was next to me. I was hoping I could hold on, but the winner kept digging and fought my horse all the way until the end. Second best.”
$250,000 Matron
She ran her way into the record book.
Haulin Ice took control shortly after the start and roared to a front-running five-length victory in the $250,000 Matron Stakes to become the leading accredited Arkansas-bred female money winner in history.
Haulin Ice collected $149,250 for the victory, pushing her career total to $688,100. Haulin Ice eclipsed the now-retired Connie K, who earned $620,612 in a 28-race career from 2021-2024.
The Matron, upgraded to listed status for its third running, was for older fillies and mares at six furlongs.
Haulin Ice ($8.80) had no trouble stepping back into open company after toying with her competition in the $150,000 Downthedustyroad Stakes for Arkansas-bred females at six furlongs March 1. Haulin Ice won the Downthedustyroad by six lengths. She nearly matched that margin in the Matron, which attracted five other entrants, including previously unbeaten Almostgone Rocket, the 3-5 favorite, and Oaklawn stakes winners Benedetta and American Band.
After breaking from post 6, Haulin Ice opened a clear advantage through a :21.98 opening quarter. Almostgone Rocket made a three-wide bid turning for home, but Haulin Ice had another gear and pulled away approaching the wire. The final time for six furlongs over a muddy, sealed surface was 1:09.31. That matched Wicked Halo’s winning time for the inaugural running in 2023.
Almostgone Rocket, in her 2025 debut and first start against older horses, held second, two lengths ahead of Benedetta, who was followed, in order, by defending champion American Band, Holly Dolly and Lady Moscato.
The Matron was the third career stakes victory and second in open company for Haulin Ice, who races for Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. and co-owners C2 Racing Stable (brothers Clint and Mark Cornett), Paul Braverman, Miller Racing (Myron Miller) and Timothy Pinch. Joseph has a string this season at Oaklawn.
Haulin Ice made her first five career starts (all at the 2023-2024 Oaklawn meeting) for trainer Lindsay Schultz before being sold privately last spring and transferred to Joseph. He has a string this season at Oaklawn. In addition to the Matron and Downthedustyroad, Haulin Ice won the $75,000 Azalea Stakes at sevenfurlongs July 13 at Gulfstream
Park, which marked her second start for Joseph. Overall, Haulin Ice, a 4-year-old gray daughter of Coal Front, has a 7-3-0 record from 13 starts. Haulin Ice also beat open company in an allowance sprint Dec. 22 at Oaklawn.
Haulin Ice, who originally raced for her breeder, Arkansan Eugenia Thompson-Benight, was named the 2024 Arkansas-bred Horse of the Year by the Arkansas Thoroughbred Breeders' & Horsemen's Association.
Nodouble, the country’s champion older horse in 1969 and 1970, is the leading accredited Arkansas-bred money winner in history ($846,749).
MATRON QUOTES
WINNING JOCKEY FRANCISCO ARRIETA (HAULIN ICE): “Man, these guys are doing an incredible job with this filly. She was looking so good in the post parade. She was sharp. She was happy. I was expecting more speed in the race. I saw the 5 (American Band) jump better than me, but when she (Haulin Ice) hit the ground, she took off. I let her go. I didn’t want to fight her and I let her go. When she was by herself, she started doing it easier. I saw we went quick, but it was real easy. I looked at the screen (infield video board) and I saw I had a (comfortable lead). So, I knew I had it.”
