Washington native owns horse in Kentucky Derby
By John Sacco
For the Observer-Reporter
newsroom@observer-reporter.com
Chuck Sonson has climbed Kilimanjaro and Everest but the mountain he will try to climb Saturday in Louisville, Ky., might be the toughest challenge yet.
Sonson, through his CJ Stables, is one of the owners of Sandman — one of the top contenders and favorites to win the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs.
A Washington native and a 1974 Washington High School graduate, Sonson is excited and focused about the possibilities.
“We feel like we have a pretty good chance based on talent here,” Sonson said. “We must come from off the pace. If we get a spot (early in the race), then he’ll be around because he can come.
“(Sandman) is kind of special. He’s like a big kid with an infinite amount of talent. You have to keep him pointed in the right direction.”
Part of going in the right direction is the horse’s connections, which include veteran trainer Mark Casse and jockey Jose Ortiz, who is looking for his first Kentucky Derby victory.
The ownership group includes D.J. Stable (Leonard Green); St. Elias Stable (Vincent Viola); West Point Thoroughbreds (Terry Finley); and CJ Stables.
Sandman, bred in Kentucky, was sired by Tapit and the Dam is Distorted Music. He was purchased for $1.2 million at the 2024 Ocala Breeders’ March sale of 2-year-olds in training.
Sandman has won three races, placed second once and third twice in eight starts, earning $1,254,595.
Sandman won the Arkansas Derby March 29 at Oaklawn Park by 2½ lengths over Publisher.
Sandman raced three times at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old and his best finish was third in the Grade 3 Street Sense Oct. 27. He has a 1-1-2 record in five career graded stakes.
“We got (Ortiz) on Sandman in the Arkansas Derby and he got a pretty clean trip,” Sonson said. “Sandman just kind of blew everybody away in the stretch.
“We feel like he’s getting better and his speed figures are better every race. If you watch him after he crosses the finish line he doesn’t stop running.”
Sonson owns a private aviation company — Century Jets — and previously was a United Airlines pilot, flying 777s. He is a 1978 graduate of the Air Force Academy.
Sonson, 69, and his wife, Julie, are parents of two children. The couple live in Aspen, Colo., and Williamsburg, Va.
Over the weekend, post positions were for the Derby drawn. While coming out of post 17 in the 20-horse field could be problematic for Sandman, Sonson said the horse is up to the challenge.
“We will have our work cut out for us but we have one of the best jockeys in the world with Jose Ortiz and Sandman is a closer,” Sonson said. “The important thing is to save ground going into the first turn and keep Sandman in the clear to make his run. Journalism (another favorite in the field) is starting better at post 8. We will come up with a game plan with Jose but I remain confident with this horse. He is just different. Nothing bothers him.”
On track
Sonson’s friends and former teammates remember him as an achiever and dedicated individual on and off the field. He played football and ran track at Wash High.
He was a member of the track team’s WPIAL Class AAA championship 880-yard relay team in 1973 along with Jim Day, Steve Hull and Guy Montecalvo. The winning time was 1:32.6.
“Chucky was a solid football player and he was probably even better in track,” Montecalvo said. “He was a different kind of cat as well. He was devoted and focused. That’s what I always think about when I think about Chuck Sonson. Of course, that played out several years later by him going to the academy, I mean it takes a rare kind of person to do that.
“To live the life that you must in the academy, that discipline regimentation that it takes, is tough. To live that that kind of existence, and of course that’s been parlayed into what he’s done in his successful career in aviation. I’m not one bit surprised because he was not a guy that would be looking to go to parties or go out somewhere on weekends. He was focused on becoming the best version of himself. The competitor he obviously was and is, can you imagine the exciting time he’s going through anticipating May 3 and having a chance to win the Kentucky Derby?”
“I thought he was a good teammate” Day said. “He was a go-getter.”
Tom Bellhy, pastor at New Hope Church-ECO and New Hope City Center in Washington and a longtime friend and classmate, said Sonson “is smart, diligent, and focused.”
“He cared about doing well in school as well as sports,” Bellhy said. “We both attended Catholic grade schools in Washington and went to Washington High School in ninth grade. Since we both played sports in grade school from fourth grade on, we had contact with a wide variety of friends, teammates and those we played against. Washington in those days enabled exposure to a rich socio-economic melting pot that helped shape our lives for the better.”
Sonson moved from Washington years ago but connections remain and he still follows area professional sports.
“We all did the same things as kids growing up in Washington,” he explained. “We all played (youth baseball), the Pony League World Series, in the days when the town shut down.
“Everybody came up on Friday night football games to Wash High Stadium. Those were the old days; those were good times. We had some good teams in those days.
“Our sprinting and relay teams were always among the best in Western Pennsylvania. I mean we just blew away everybody. At states, we were a little bit on the shorter side and we’d run into these teams from around Philadelphia and they really had these tall, long-legged guys. We placed (fourth in 1973). We couldn’t ever figure out those long strides.”
Come Saturday, Sonson and his partners are hoping all the work, the analytics and pre-race plans help Sandman stride to the wire first.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” Bellhy said.
“My wife, Jan, and I are so excited for Chuck and Julie. We are going to the Derby with them and looking forward to the opportunity to celebrate a win. That would be awesome.”