Monday Morning Message with Jason Beem Mar. 2, 2026

Jason writes about Sandman and finding his level in racing. 

A good Monday morning to you all! A truly fun weekend of racing from across the country with thrilling finishes in both the Rebel S. (G2) and the Fountain of Youth (G2). We talked all about those races on the podcast for today and will shift our focus to the Tampa Bay Derby (G3) coming up this weekend. I’ll have more to say about our big local race coming up in my Thursday Thoughts column right here on TwinSpires. 

Today I wanted to write about the horse Sandman, who finished last in the Razorback H. (G3) on Saturday as the third choice in the field of six. Sandman was a million dollar baby, and I was actually there at Ocala the day he was sold in the OBS March sale. He had a very strong start to his career that reached its pinnacle when he scored in the Arkansas Derby (G1). Since his third-place finish in the Preakness S. (G1) last year, he hasn’t fared as well, not finishing better than fifth in his last four starts. 

Someone on Twitter/X commented about how it was time for him to retire or that he was “done” after this kind of dull effort Saturday. I saw several comments similar to that, and I’m sure some of that comes from Griffin Johnson’s involvement and promotion of the horse. Griffin has jumped into the game headfirst, and like racing does when a celebrity of any kind gets interested in it, he got a big push from the racing media. I think sometimes folks on social media resent that, and I think that’s led to some of the blowback towards Sandman with his lackluster recent races. 

But there’s a lesson to be learned here, and my friend Erin Thompson (@Pan_Zareta on Twitter/X) made a great point. She tweeted that “just because Sandman isn't a graded stakes runner doesn't mean there isn't a place for Sandman to be successful in the sport. There's an excellent opportunity for racing's sake to demonstrate that, if the @jockeyclub chose to utilize it.” 

The Jockey Club has worked with Griffin in promoting racing, and he does work with America’s Best Racing, who is part of the Jockey Club, so hence that tagging. But I think she makes a great point. Many people in racing often have a knee-jerk reaction any time a horse who was a graded stakes quality runner might not be that anymore. There’s an assumption that the horse isn’t sound or should be retired. I’ve never understood that. 

If the horse is sound, and I don’t think Mark Casse is racing any horse who isn’t healthy, but his abilities just aren’t at the level of where they once were, that doesn’t mean that horse can’t have a fruitful and fun career. The drop from a graded stakes horse to an allowance horse is significant, but it isn’t that crazy of a drop. A horse regresses 10 or 15 Speed figure points, that’s a fair dip down the class ladder, but a horse running 80 or even 90 Brisnet Speed figures is by no means no longer a competitive horse. 

Also to Erin’s point about the excellent opportunity to demonstrate that, I think that’s so true. Some of the best horse stories out there aren’t necessarily the big race groups and owners. 

We see small groups of owners all over the country, every day of the week, win a race, and it means the world to them. Maybe it’s five friends getting together to have a $10,000 claimer. That horse is the biggest thing in their world that day it runs, even if it’s the second race on a Thursday at Finger Lakes or another mid-size track. Those horses can have excellent lives and careers and can also make money! In fact, that’s how most horse owners are doing it, at the lower and middle levels. 

Sandman has been a very good horse for the connections, and if they decide to retire him, that’s their decision. To me though, if I hear Sandman is running in an allowance race on a Thursday, heck yes, I’m watching. And I’ll be pulling for him to find his winning stride again. He’s a cool horse who just needs to find his level. 

Have a great week everyone!