FINAL BREEDERS CUP PREP RACES IN THE BOOKS

OMAHA BEACH

The Breeders Cup is four weeks away and this weekend on both coasts a multitude of Stakes races were run but we will focus on the sprinters at Santa Anita and the ladies at Belmont Park. First up on Saturday in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship the classy OMAHA BEACH returned after five months to take the prize at the odds of 5-2. Omaha Beach had to be scratched from the Kentucky Derby as the favorite just days before the race. It was discovered that he had an entrapped epiglottis, a condition that affects the throat of a horse and it actually sounds worse than it is. It still took him five months to recover because some other issues emerged, so trainer Richard Mandella only had a couple of weeks to get the son of War Front ready.
However he made no mistakes as the winner took on the speedy Shancelot who rushed to an early lead and was only caught in the last 50 yards of the race. Jockey Mike Smith particularly liked the way his charge settled early and will likely be aboard on the big day. However connections can also opt for the Dirt Mile or the Classic if they pass on the sprint so that will be interesting to see what happens. Omaha Beach has now won four times for earnings of $1.3 million. It was good news for Mandella who lost a five year-old gelding earlier in the day who collapsed from an apparent heart attack.

Sistercharlie with John Velazquez

On Sunday at Belmont Park my current favorite horse SISTERCHARLIE won her sixth Grade One on the trot for trainer Chad Brown when she captured the $500,000 Flower Bowl by ¾ length from Mrs.Sippy and stablemate Thais. The latter was in the race as a rabbit for the eventual winner and rushed off to a twelve length lead early on.