Sandman, Magnitude Top Razorback Handicap Marquee

D J Stables and St Elias Stables' Sandman  will make his first graded stakes start of the year at the site of his biggest career victory to date.

The 4-year-old gray or roan son of Tapit   is among seven entries in the Feb. 28 Razorback Handicap (G3), a $500,000 test over 1 1/16 miles at Oaklawn Park. 

Trained by Mark Casse, Sandman has not hit the board since last year's Preakness Stakes (G1) where he was third behind Journalism  and Gosger . At Oaklawn Park in 2025, he finished second in the Southwest Stakes (G3) and third in the Rebel Stakes (G2) before he landed the Arkansas Derby (G1) by 2 1/2 lengths. 

Sandman returned to the Oaklawn work tab Dec. 12 and has been steadily working five furlongs since Dec. 19 when he worked 1:00 4/5. He produced a bullet work in :59 3/5 Dec. 27 with Cristian Torres in the saddle. The colt worked an easy 1:02 Jan. 20 before making his first start of the year Feb. 7 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance level option claiming race in which he finished fifth with jockey Jose Ortiz. Torres was aboard the winner, San Siro , in that race but will be guiding Sandman in the Razorback. They will leave from the outside post and carry 120 pounds.

As of Feb. 23, Casse is leading the Oaklawn trainer standings with more than $2 million in purses 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' Magnitude , who will be making his 4-year-old debut in the Razorback with trainer Steve Asmussen and Ortiz. Asmussen is currently second in the leading trainer standings with $1,857,779 in purses and 26 wins from 142 starts.

The 4-year-old son of Not This Time   last raced Nov. 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 5-2-1 record from 11 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 the Iowa Derby by 9 1/4 lengths. He then ran third in the Travers Stakes (G1) and second in the Pennsylvania Derby (G1) before winning the Clark. 

Magnitude, the 9-5 morning-line favorite, 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 field's highweight at 123 pounds.

Asmussen has a second starter in the field with Douglas Scharbauer's Tap Into This , a 4-year-old gray or roan son of Tapit who comes into the Razorback off a seasonal debut win at Oaklawn. The colt won the Jan. 2 The Coach Overnight Stakes by half a length, capturing his first career black-type stakes win and his fourth career win out of 10 starts.

Tap Into This will be ridden from post 1 by Asmussen's son Erik, who has been aboard for two previous starts.

Doubledown Stables' Nu What's New  will be making his first start in a stakes but he is coming into the Razorback in sharp form with two consecutive wins at Oaklawn that produced Equibase Speed Figures on par with Magnitude's last start. The bay gelded son of Munnings   scored his first career win Dec. 26 at Oaklawn when he won by 7 1/2 lengths going a mile. He followed that effort with a front-end, 1 1/16-mile allowance win by 12 1/2 lengths for trainer James Divito. These wins produced 104 and 109 ESFs, respectively. 

Nu 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.