Normandy Invasion nearly ready for return to races

BOYNTON BEACH, Fla. – If Normandy Invasion’s recent workouts here at Palm Meadows are any indication, he will be back in the starting gate soon.

Over the past seven weeks, Normandy Invasion has trained sharply, including three recent five-furlong breezes at Palm Meadows. His workout regimen began with two three-furlong moves here in late December, then two half-mile breezes. His first five-eighths work on Jan. 19 was reminiscent of his works prior to the Derby. He worked in 1:00.80 and galloped out six furlongs in 1:14.40 and seven furlongs in 1:29.40. He’s moved fluidly in his two works since, including his five furlongs in 1:02 on Monday.

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Normandy Invasion has not raced since finishing fourth in the 2013 Kentucky Derby.

“We had him at WinStar Farm [in Kentucky] and the crew over there did an excellent job,” trainer Chad Brown said. “They sent him down here in terrific shape and weight. He’s on a steady pattern of works right now and he’s in a good rhythm. I like the way this horse is training. If he runs like he’s been working, the older male division just got a whole lot stronger.”

Normandy Invasion is still eligible for a first-level allowance, and that’s where he might begin his comeback, Brown said.

“It’s certainly an option to start him off in an allowance race, but we’ll keep him nominated to all the stakes as well,” he said. “In another week or two, we’ll zero in on a spot based on how he’s training.”

Normandy Invasion, a son of Tapit, led at the quarter pole of the Kentucky Derby and finished behind Orb, Golden Soul, and Revolutionary.

“After the Derby, this horse really had multiple things wrong with him,” Brown said. “The Derby was hard on him. He lost quite a bit of weight, and after the race I thought he was a little too light to go on to the Preakness. He was a little body sore, and I decided to regroup with him and point to the summer campaign, toward the Travers.”

But Normandy Invasion developed a foot abscess before the Travers that resulted in his hoof wall separating from the rest of the foot.

“After that, he just wasn’t moving right and he wasn’t in the feed tub like we needed him to be, so we just decided to pull the plug and point toward his 4-year-old year,” Brown said.