Omaha Beach confirmed for Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile

Omaha Beach will make his next start in the Grade 1, $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt mile on Nov. 2 at Santa Anita, owner Rick Porter confirmed on Thursday.

The multiple Grade 1 winner also had been under serious consideration for the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Sprint on the same program. Santa Anita publicity reported the race decision Thursday, citing trainer Richard Mandella.

Omaha Beach is coming off a win in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship on Oct. 5, which was his first start since his Arkansas Derby victory in April at Oaklawn.

“The decision was made today,” Porter said Thursday. “[Mandella] and I talked about it and decided to go in the Dirt Mile.

“I think we were both 50 and 50 on which race we wanted to go in. I talked to Spendthrift and I think they were anxious to go in the Dirt Mile, so that wasn’t a problem to me. We wanted to accommodate them. They have been very good to me.”

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Omaha Beach, upon his retirement, will stand stud at Spendthrift Farm in Lexington, Ky.

Porter said plans are to race Omaha Beach beyond the Breeders’ Cup, with goals the Malibu at Santa Anita and the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park.

“We’ll see how he runs his next race and how he’s doing,” said Porter. “He’ll decide.”

Porter said down the line, he looks for Omaha Beach to be well received at stud as a Grade 1 winner at both six furlongs and 1 1/8 miles. The son of War Front also is a half-brother to champion Take Charge Brandi.

Porter said the $6 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at 1 1/4 miles had not been in serious play for Omaha Beach because of the timing of the race in relation to his comeback earlier this month.

“The Classic, we really didn’t consider,” he said. “He was off six months and he ran three-quarters of a mile. It would be too much to ask after he’d been off.”

Mandella said Omaha Beach's training schedule will be straightforward heading into the Dirt Mile.

“There’s not a lot of difference training him for that or the Sprint, which were the two races we were seriously looking at,” he told Daily Racing Form on Thursday.

Mandella said Omaha Beach’s next work will be longer than it would have been were he to have been tabbed for the Sprint. He said it will be a “solid” work next Wednesday or Thursday. From there, Mandella said it’s to be determined whether the horse would have an additional work for the Dirt Mile.

“We’ll have to see,” he said.

As for whether Omaha Beach is better at one turn or two, Mandella had no preference.

“I think he’s good no matter what I do with him,” he said.

Omaha Beach, who has earned $1.3 million to date, is based at Santa Anita.

Mandella said Mike Smith, the colt's regular rider, has the mount in the Breeders' Cup.