Omaha Beach Catches Shancelot in SA Sprint Championship
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Photo: Benoit Photo
Omaha Beach (inside) and Shancelot match strides in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship at Santa Anita Park
Omaha Beach may have missed a start in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1), but a month away from the Breeders' Cup at Santa Anita Park, he looks on course for one of its championship races.
The morning-line favorite for the Derby who was scratched from that race because of an entrapped epiglottis, the Fox Hill Farm runner made a sparkling return from a five-month layoff in the Oct. 5 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes (G1) by catching free-running Shancelot in an epic stretch battle.
As part of the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series, the $300,351 Santa Anita Sprint Championship earned Omaha Beach an automatic berth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) Nov. 2 if his connections opt for that race. The Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile (G1) and Longines Classic (G1) are also under consideration.
The six-furlong Santa Anita Sprint Championship confirmed what Omaha Beach's Hall of Fame trainer, Richard Mandella, long believed: His horse is naturally quick. Although Omaha Beach's previous success came in longer races like the Rebel Stakes (G2) and Arkansas Derby (G1) this spring at Oaklawn Park, it was clear from the break Saturday that the War Front colt could sprint.
Jockey Mike Smith settled Omaha Beach a couple of lengths off the pace of 1-5 favorite Shancelot, who led the field of six through splits of :21.87 and :44.38. Traveling smoothly, Omaha Beach put himself in contention coming into the stretch. Then Smith sent him up along the inside to go after the leader.
Though Shancelot tried his best to repel the winner, keeping him at bay for much of the stretch, he did not have enough to withstand him in the race's final 50 yards.
"He broke extremely well—almost too well," Smith said. "He kind of slipped a little leaving there, but, man, he settled right in behind them really nice and he was loaded coming off that turn. Mr. Mandella really had him ready today. His last work was brilliant, and he ran the way he worked."
Even coming off a promising breeze, there was much to overcome. Omaha Beach needed surgery to correct his entrapped epiglottis, spent longer than anticipated recovering in Kentucky at WinStar Farm, then missed a couple of preps over longer distance due to minor physical and training setbacks. This meant Mandella had little time to prepare him for a race as short as the Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Omaha Beach completed the sprint in 1:08.79. He paid $7.20.
"I took two weeks to make a sprinter out of him. It isn't like we practiced this a lot," Mandella said. "But the really good horses can adapt to whatever you ask them."
Omaha Beach improved his record to 4-3-1 from eight starts, with earnings of more than $1.3 million. He was bred in Kentucky by Charming Syndicate out of the Seeking the Gold mare Charming, making him a half brother to champion 2-year-old filly Take Charge Brandi and a full brother to group 1-placed Courage Under Fire.
Omaha Beach was not the only horse to show his quality Saturday. Shancelot fought tenaciously, finishing 2 1/2 lengths in front of third-place Flagstaff. Winner of the Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course this summer, the Shanghai Bobby colt seems a leading Breeders' Cup Sprint contender.
California Street, Horse Greedy, and One Flew South finished fourth through sixth to round out the order.