Omaha Beach has blistering six-furlong work for Rebel Stakes

CYPRESS, Calif. - Omaha Beach, the nine-length winner of a maiden race at Santa Anita on Feb. 9, is scheduled to have his stakes debut in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes for 3-year-olds at Oaklawn Park on March 16.

What Omaha Beach displayed in a workout at Los Alamitos on Saturday left trainer Richard Mandella eager for the colt’s upcoming test. Working in company with stablemate Keystone Field, Omaha Beach zoomed six furlongs in 1:10.60 under jockey Flavien Prat.

While the Los Alamitos track often plays fast, the style of the workout left Mandella enthused and somewhat surprised.

“It looked effortless,” Mandella said. “I didn’t think he would do that.”

Omaha Beach started two lengths behind his stablemate and caught Keystone Field on the turn. Mandella timed Omaha Beach through the first half-mile in 47.60 seconds. When he glanced at his stopwatch after Omaha Beach reached the finish, Mandella did a double-take.

“I’m new here,” he said. “Maybe I’m hitting (the poles) wrong.”

The timing was the same as what official clockers recorded.

Omaha Beach, who races for Rick Porter’s Fox Hill Farms, was sent to Los Alamitos on Saturday after Santa Anita closed its main track on Tuesday to conduct an inspection of the course following 21 equine fatalities since Dec. 26. The inspection continued Saturday. The main track at Santa Anita could open for training by next weekend, track officials said Friday. Limited training on the main track is scheduled to begin Monday.

Several trainers have sent leading runners to Los Alamitos for workouts this weekend.

By next weekend, Omaha Beach is scheduled to be at Oaklawn Park for the Rebel Stakes, which is run at 1 1/16 miles. Track officials at Oaklawn Park said interest may be high enough to divide the Rebel into two races, if 20 horses are entered.

Mandella is also sending Extra Hope for the Rebel. Owned by Samantha Siegel, Extra Hope was third to Improbable in the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Futurity in December and won his 3-year-old debut in an allowance race with an $80,000 claiming option at a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 31.

Extra Hope was expected to run in the Grade 2 San Felipe Stakes at Santa Anita on Saturday, but the race has been cancelled this year while the main track undergoes inspection.

Extra Hope worked six furlongs alone in 1:12 on Saturday, though Mandella clocked the colt in a slightly quicker 1:11.60. Extra Hope looked sharp on the backstretch under Prat but appeared to slow in the final sixteenth.

“He got a little lazy because he didn’t have any company with him,” Mandella said.

There will be a large group of California-based runners for the Rebel. Trainer Bob Baffert is sending Game Winner, the champion 2-year-old male of 2018, and Improbable. Jerry Hollendorfer is targeting the race with Galilean and Gunmetal Gray.

Gunmetal Gray worked 1:12.60 under Prat in company with a stablemate on Saturday at Los Alamitos.

“He did that easily,” Hollendorfer said.

The Rebel Stakes will be Gunmetal Gray’s first start since a second-place finish in the Grade 3 Robert Lewis Stakes at 1 1/16 miles at Santa Anita on Feb. 2. Gunmetal Gray won the Grade 3 Sham Stakes at a mile at Santa Anita on Jan. 5.

In other notable works Saturday, Sparky Ville, the winner of the Grade 2 San Vicente Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs on Feb. 10, worked five furlongs in 1:04.80 for trainer Jeff Bonde.

Marley’s Freedom, who won the Grade 2 Santa Monica Stakes at seven furlongs for fillies and mares on Feb. 16, worked six furlongs in 1:11. Marley’s Freedom was scheduled to start in the Grade 1 Beholder Mile on March 16, but that race will not be held on that date. The race is expected to be rescheduled for late March or early April. Santa Anita is tentatively scheduled to resume racing on March 22.

Kanthaka, second in the Grade 2 Palos Verdes Stakes at six furlongs on Jan. 19, worked six furlongs in 1:12.40. Kanthaka was scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade 2 San Carlos Stakes at Santa Anita, which has not been rescheduled.