Derby favorite out
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Omaha Beach, the morning-line favorite for the Kentucky Derby, was scratched from the race Wednesday afternoon because of an upper respiratory problem, his trainer Richard Mandella said.
Mandella said Omaha Beach is suffering from an entrapped epiglottis, a condition that can lead to labored breathing, coughing and exercise intolerance. The condition, in which cartilage covering the entrance to the larynx becomes trapped in a fold of tissue, is often correctable with surgery.
“We can’t fix it this week, so we’ll have to have a procedure done in a few days and probably be out of training for three weeks,” Mandella said in official news release from Churchill Downs.
He said he had Omaha Beach scoped Wednesday morning after the Derby favorite coughed several times following his morning workout. Jockey Mike Smith texted a sad emoji and hands clasped in prayer in confirming the news about Omaha Beach.
The scratch offered a stunning twist for a race that already appeared unpredictable at the top. Omaha Beach earned his status with a commanding victory in the April 13 Arkansas Derby. Rival trainer Bob Baffert had described him as “definitely the horse to beat.”
Two-time Derby winning trainer Todd Pletcher had said Omaha Beach “built up lot of momentum over his last two starts and is justifiably the morning-line favorite.”
Baffert, seeking to tie Ben Jones for the most trainers wins in Derby history at six, now has the top three remaining horses in the morning line: Game Winner, Roadster and Improbable.
Omaha Beach had beaten Improbable in the Arkansas Derby and Game Winner, the 2018 2-year-old champion, in the March 16 Rebel Stakes.
Smith, who piloted Justify to the Triple Crown last year, chose to ride Omaha Beach over Roadster, the Santa Anita Derby champion. Many handicappers took that as a further sign of Omaha Beach’s excellence.
Baffert joked that jockeys are right 90 percent of the time when they make such decisions.
He had nothing but kind words on Wednesday morning for Omaha Beach and Mandella, a Hall of Fame trainer who’s never won a Triple Crown race.
“Richard, he doesn’t need any tips from me,” Baffert said. “He’s very capable and when he gets a good horse, he knows what to do. I’m happy for him, because he’s my neighbor (at Santa Anita Park) and he’s so excited. He’s been here before, but he’s never had a horse like this.”
The understated Mandella offered no hint of the news to come during an interview outside his barn Wednesday morning. “Good as ever,” he said after watching his horse gallop 1 3/4 miles over the track at Churchill Downs.
