Sanding thin veneer tops always risks going through in places hence why I would recommend laying down the black and wipe off as much as you can whilst wet and then have another crack to wipe more off 24 hours later as this method does not require any sanding.

Once base stain coats have had a few days or more to cure you should be right to move on to the next colour as you need to be sure that the base colour won't run, smudge or blend in when next layer is added.