After struggling in the slop on Kentucky Derby Day, Sandman showed up with a strong run to finish third in the Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, beaten 2 3/4 lengths for everything.

The gray colt settled in the back but the pace was moderate through a half in 46 and change. Coming from 12 lengths out of it, he had to make a sustained drive just to get within striking distance at the top of the lane, and he did: he was right alongside the winner Journalism in mid-stretch but he did not have enough left to out-kick the top two.

Trainer Mark Casse said, “I was upset the first quarter because they were walking, but they picked it up. I have to watch the replay, but he ran good. He made amends for the Derby, but a good horse won.”

Jockey John Velazquez said, “We got a good trip, you know, tried to stay out of trouble as much as I could and then when we got to the quarter pole I thought I was home free but he got to looking around and stopped concentrating. When he was following the horses he was really good, but when I pulled him out to go around and he felt like he was by himself and he didn’t even care, but when a horse moved to the inside of us, he engaged a little bit again to the end.”

Sandman will likely freshen up for a summer campaign at Saratoga.