The aptly named Speed King, dueling with the more substantial Bob-Baffert-trained Cornucopian cracked open a bracing eight-plus-length lead on the pack, led by Coal Battle, up the backstretch. For his part, and for most of that way, Sandman was biding his time in the back of the nine-horse field. But at the top of the backstretch, it was clear that the duel was beginning to etch at the lead pair. Their splits had been blazing: 0:22.46, 0:45.21, and 1:10.37.

Sandman’s delighted trainer Mark Casse said this after the race: “The farther they went, the more confident I was.”

In the far turn, Jockey Jose Ortiz wheeled Sandman swiftly past the pack and, heading a bit wide at the top of the stretch with not a little dirt covering them from all that time in the rear, Ortiz and Sandman switched on the afterburners. Speed King was entirely out of fuel, but his dueling partner, the Baffert-trained and highly touted Cornucopian, though fading, nevertheless stuck in the running with a certain grit.

Ortiz and Sandman hit the line two-and-a-half lengths in front of Publisher, who showed admirable kick in separating himself from the peloton and working up in behind Sandman. The tough Coal Battle held on to show. For his part, Cornucopian managed to keep his grip on fourth, earning himself and Baffert a mere 15 points toward a stall in the Kentucky gate.

Although Sandman was a known talent, hence his 3-1 odds, and will now be put under every possible analyst’s microscope prior to the Kentucky Derby, in a sense he pulled off a slight upset. For the moment, Sandman leads the Kentucky Derby leaderboard with 129 points. The extremely lightly-raced Cornucopian had gone off as the strong 8-5 favorite, with Baffert and the connections hoping for the hundred-point hit. The far more experienced Sandman simply did what he thought he should do — relax, tuck into a good position, and strike hard down the lane. Put a different way, Sandman looked like he was well ready for the one-and-a-quarter miles in Kentucky a month from now.

Adding to the fun, Sandman paid $9.40, Publisher paid $6.20, and Coal Battle paid $3.00. The athleticism was, as it is in in all of racing, breathtaking, but more impressive was the tactical prowess of the victor.