Three-year-old colt Sandman, who has built up a following of millions through his popularity on social media, returns to compete in one of the biggest races of the summer Saturday at Saratoga Race Course in New York. He’ll be running in the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun against Sovereignty, winner of the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes.

Can Sandman step up his game and defeat the Derby and Belmont winner? He’ll have to run the best race of his life, but the talent is there and he’s already proven to be one of the top horses in his age group. Sandman burst on the scene last summer at age 2 when he won his first race at Saratoga (and second start overall) for an ownership group that includes Griffin Johnson, a social media content creator with more than 14 million followers.

Since then, the story’s only gotten better for Sandman, Griffin, and the gang, and an exciting next chapter awaits. Let’s look back at five highlights from Sandman’s journey so far.

1. Sandman wins at the Spa! After making his debut on July 27, 2024, at Churchill Downs with Griffin Johnson in attendance, Sandman went to Saratoga for a start on Aug. 10. The gorgeous gray colt made a winning move in the stretch to prevail and jump on the national radar. Griffin wasn’t at the track, but shared the victory and his reaction to millions.

2. A scary start, but what a finish! After running in two stakes races in the fall of 2024, Sandman earned his second win in December at Oaklawn Park. That set him up for a start in the Southwest Stakes at the Arkansas track on Jan. 25. He nearly fell coming out of the starting gate and almost unseated his jockey, but Sandman recovered to fly home and finish second.

3. Great leap forward: After the Southwest Stakes, Sandman finished third in the Rebel Stakes and then one start later, in Oaklawn Park’s most prestigious race, he put it all together. Sandman won the Arkansas Derby before thousands of cheering fans in person (and many more, including Griffin, watching on TV or on their phones) to punch his ticket to the 2025 Kentucky Derby.

4. Exciting Derby week: Since the Kentucky Derby is restricted to 3-year-old racehorses, owners only have one chance to win the race, and only 20 horses can compete. Sandman made up some ground to finish seventh in the Derby May 3 on a sloppy track he didn’t care for, but for Griffin Johnson and the rest of Sandman’s owners, the experience of having a contender in the world’s most famous race is one they’ll always remember.

5. Back on the right track: Sandman returned after only two weeks of rest in the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, the Preakness Stakes May 17 at Pimlico, and he was a force to be reckoned with again as he charged through the stretch to finish third.

Since the Preakness, Sandman’s been training at the track he won his first race at – Saratoga – for the Jim Dandy. If he runs well Saturday, we’ll very likely see him again Aug. 23 at Saratoga in the DraftKings Travers Stakes, an even bigger race than the Jim Dandy. The best could be yet to come …