You can’t say enough about Omaha Beach’s return to racing in the Grade 1 $300,000 Santa Anita Sprint Championship, a qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Sprint. He stayed off the pace and then came firing on the inside to win by a head over heavy favorite Shancelot.
Mandella was in a good mood after winning Saturday’s race.
“I’m just very relieved to have him back,” Mandella said. “At the eighth pole, I thought we were [going to be] clear, but it took some race riding.…This horse has a heart of gold and he’s got the greatest personality of any horse I’ve ever had. I would say anything’s possible.”
Winning the race gave Omaha Beach a free pass into the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, which may not be the race he wants to run in.
“I want to enjoy this one, but the [Breeders’ Cup] Sprint, the Mile and the mile-and-a-quarter (Classic) are all possible,” Mandella said. “We’re gonna run in the Breeders’ Cup. For now, I’ll just drink that big bottle of champagne and think it over.”
More from John Cherwa at the LA Times:
