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Sandman horse name, explained: How rock band Metallica, Mariano Rivera inspired moniker for Kentucky Derby racer
Daniel Chavkin
May 3, 2025
3:20 am EDT
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/horse-racing/news/sandman-horse-name-kentucky-derby-metallica-mariano-rivera/9438900e0a723bbcdedc4c8e

Thanks to Eli for posting this.

Sandman horse name, explained
Sandman has one of the most familiar names of the horses running in this year's Kentucky Derby, as it has both a sports and music connection.

Jonathan Green, one of Sandman's owners, is a big fan of Hall-of-Fame Yankees closer Mariano Rivera, who famously used "Enter Sandman" when he entered games. Green named the horse Sandman with the hope that the horse can close races like Rivera closed games.

While the horse wasn't directly named for the hit Metallica song, that hasn't stopped the band from supporting the horse. Leading up to the race, the band provided Sandman's team with merchandise.