Omaha Beach expected to cover north of 200 mares in first season

As soon as it was announced in September that Omaha Beach would begin covering mares at Spendthrift Farm in 2020, the flood began.

Over 400 applications for seasons to the multiple Grade 1-winning son of War Front reportedly rolled into the farm office in a wave that Spendthrift general manager Ned Toffey describes as "overwhelming" - and which is still ongoing.

"The biggest challenge is trying to pick the right breeders and the right mares, but filling his book was not a problem," added Toffey, smiling at his own wry understatement.

He expects Omaha Beach will entertain "north of 200 mares" from the time the farm opens its breeding shed on February 10 through to the end of the season.

Omaha Beach made his debut as a stallion at a special showing at Spendthrift after arriving at the farm on Monday evening. He strode confidently across a concrete road for inspection with little or no sign of the slight lameness that led to his withdrawal from the $3 million Pegasus World Cup, an event that was supposed to be his racing adieu.

Toffey said he is optimistic that a team of consulting veterinarians will clear the colt to begin stud duty soon in what looks to be one of the most promising seasons in the history of the farm, which in an earlier heyday concurrently stood the likes of Raise A Native, his leading sire son Exclusive Native and his Triple Crown-winning grandson Affirmed.

Four-year-old Omaha Beach and two of his new stablemates, Breeders' Cup winners and champions Vino Rosso and Mitole, represent Spendthrift's boldest plunge into the stallion market under the ownership of B Wayne Hughes.

They will be joined this season by two other new stallions in multiple Graded winner Coal Front and Grade 2 juvenile winner Maximus Mischief. Toffey said all but Coal Front already have full books and he has been well supported.

"We're really excited to bring in three Breeders' Cup level horses with really strong stud fees and who are perceived by everybody as high-end horses, but at the same time we're always want to keep in mind that good horses can come from anywhere," Toffey said in explaining Spendthrift's strategy. "And we want to try to give our breeders who are going to be at the lower price point of the spectrum good opportunities as well."

Hughes, 86, will be honoured on March 2 with the John W Galbreath Award for Outstanding Entrepreneurship in the Equine Industry from the University of Louisville College of Business Equine Industry Program.

Known as an innovator, Hughes has made his mark by offering a number of relatively inexpensive stallions and then developing the likes of 2019 leading North American sire Into Mischief and 2018 top freshman sires Cross Traffic and Goldencents. This year, however, Spendthrift's 24-horse roster features three of the highest-priced new stallions on the continent.

Omaha Beach, who won Grade 1 races from six furlongs to a mile and eighth and finished second in the Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile, leads all advertised North American first-year stallions with a fee of $45,000, which also is the highest for a new stallion at Spendthrift since Hughes bought the farm in 2004.

With a pedigree that features Broodmare of the Year Take Charge Lady as his second dam, champion Take Charge Brandi as his half-sister and champion Will Take Charge and successful sire and Grade 1 winner Take Charge Indy as half-brothers to his dam, Omaha Beach offers an elixir of elite genetics.

Vino Rosso, the handsome chestnut son of Curlin who triumphed in the Breeders' Cup Classic, is next among new American stallions with a fee of $30,000, while Mitole, the Breeders' Cup Sprint victor and four-time Grade 1 winner by Eskendereya, is tied with Audible at WinStar and Catholic Boy at Claiborne Farm with a fee of $25,000.

Maximus Mischief will stand for $7,500 while Coat Front is advertised at $5,000.

Looking forward, Toffey said he expects Spendthrift will continue to be aggressive in seeking prominent stallion prospects in addition to promising young horses that can stand at lower fees.

"We're certainly going to try to get the best horses we can bring in, but I think one of the things we've been able to do over the years is to offer different breeders at different levels a lot of really good value and I think we want to continue to do that," he said.

"We've a lot of breeders who've bred with us over the years that are more in that $10,000 stud fee range and it's important to us to continue to try to offer those people value and never lose sight of the fact that Malibu Moon and Into Mischief were at one time well below that level. A good horse can come from anywhere," he said.

Reflecting on how Spendthrift obtained its high-powered new quintet, Toffey cited diligent hustle.

"All of the farms are essentially doing the same things. You try to identify these potential stallion prospects early and decide when you need to go after them," he said.

"Most of us have relationships with lots of these folks that own these horses. So, there really is no magic formula to do it, it's just paying attention. And we've a wonderful team here that does a great job. I guess it's probably a little like college football recruiting - it never really ends," he observed.

Almost a dozen farms pursued the breeding rights for Omaha Beach but the relationship between Hughes and the colt's former owner, Rick Porter of Fox Hill Farms, almost certainly was a factor. Several years ago, Hughes helped Porter, who had been battling cancer, get into a special clinical treatment trial that enabled Porter to achieve full remission.

Spendthrift prevailed in gaining Omaha Beach for stud duty just prior to the Kentucky Derby, for which the colt was the early favourite after capturing the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby. However, he was scratched from the Run for the Roses due to an entrapped epiglottis.

Omaha Beach went on to add two more elite race wins to his resume and retires as War Front's only multiple Grade 1 winner on dirt. As much as his pedigree and race record factor in Omaha Beach's appeal, however, much of it is due to his charismatic attitude and good looks.

"He's really remarkable," Toffey said after Omaha Beach introduced himself to breeders with a calm, regal presence, adding in regard to the colt's demeanour: "I don't know how you could have one better. I'll be shocked if I ever see one better than this."

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