Omaha Beach (horse)

Omaha Beach was winless in three starts at age two, all of them run over the turf. He finished third in his first start on September 2, 2018, then second in his next start on September 29, losing the latter by a nose. In his last start on November 18, he finished second by a neck.[1]

For his first start as a three-year-old, Mandella opted to switch the colt from turf to dirt in a maiden race at Santa Anita on January 4, 2019. Omaha Beach stumbled at the start then recovered and moved to challenge for the lead. He moved into first place around the far turn but after a lengthy stretch duel again finished second, this time losing by half a length.[5]

His next start was on February 2 over a sloppy dirt track at Santa Anita. He pressed the early pace while racing three wide, then took command around the turn. He continued to draw away down the stretch, eventually winning by nine lengths.[6] "We always thought he was a really good horse," said Mandella later. "Being a War Front, I thought maybe he was going to want turf. But I was wrong with that. He wants dirt."[7]

Omaha Beach entered into contention on the 2019 Road to the Kentucky Derby when he won the second division of the Rebel Stakes at Oaklawn Park on March 16. The decision to ship to the Arkansas racetrack was in part due to the temporary closure of Santa Anita due to unsafe track conditions caused by heavy winter rains. He was the second choice in a field of ten that included champion two-year-old Game Winner (Breeders' Cup Juvenile). Ridden for the first time by Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith, he pressed the early pace then moved to the lead down the backstretch. Leading by two lengths in mid-stretch, he then held off the rapidly closing Game Winner to win by a nose despite being bumped.[7][8]

"Game Winner ran really good," said Mandella. "He'll probably be tough next time, but [Omaha Beach] just broke his maiden. He might be tougher, too."[7]

On April 13, Omaha Beach followed up by winning the Arkansas Derby, also at Oaklawn Park, moving him to second place in the Derby qualification standings. On a sloppy track, he went off as the slight favorite over the highly regarded colt Improbable (Los Alamitos Futurity). Breaking from an inside post position, Omaha Beach was outrun for the early lead, so dropped back and moved to the outside around the first turn. Down the backstretch, he moved to the lead and then held off Improbable to win by a length.[9]

"My first thought was, 'Jeez, don't move too quick' and then I thought, 'Don't be second-guessing Mike Smith,' Mandella said. He then added, "We'd already ran in the slop at home, so that wasn't much of a concern. He's a very tractable horse. I don't think we need to pick a surface."[9]

On April 30, the post position draw for the Kentucky Derby was held. Omaha Beach drew post position 12 and was installed as the morning-line favorite. On the same day, it was announced that he would stand at Spendthrift Farm after retirement.[10] On May 1 however, his connections announced he would miss the Derby due to the discovery of an entrapped epiglottis, which affected his ability to breathe. Manual efforts to deal with the problem failed, meaning Omaha Beach had to undergo minor surgery,[11] which was successfully performed on May 3.[12]

He was originally expected to return to racing in the summer meet at Del Mar but came down with a virus. He was then being pointed to a race at Churchill Downs in late September but suffered another setback. Mandella then decided to try the colt in the Grade I Santa Anita Sprint Championship, over a distance of six furlongs. "I was thinking it may be too short," he said. "But now that I have given him a little freshener and blew him out, it may not be too short. He's just a good horse. So maybe fate has forced us into doing something a little better."[13]

Given the lengthy layoff and Omaha Beach's lack of experience at six furlongs, he was the second betting choice in the field of six. His main rival was expected to be Shancelot (Amsterdam Stakes), who went off at odds of 3-10.[13] Omaha Beach stumbled at the start then settled a few lengths off the early pace set by Shancelot. Around the turn, Omaha Beach started his drive, angling away from the rail for racing room. However, Shancelot swung slightly wide as they entered the stretch, leaving room for Omaha Beach to move through on the rail. Omaha Beach closed ground steadily and won by a head.[14]