Omaha Beach ready for warm welcome at Spendthrift as he retires to stud

Omaha Beach, War Front’s three-time Grade 1-winning three-year-old of 2019, will arrive on Monday to start his stallion career at Spendthrift Farm in Kentucky

Trained by Richard Mandella, Omaha Beach jumped onto the Triple Crown trail last year with three consecutive victories including the Rebel Stakes and the Arkansas Derby.

He was the ante-post favourite for the Kentucky Derby only to miss the race with a trapped epiglottis and returned in the autumn to beat older horses and leading sprinter Shancelot in winning the Santa Anita Sprint Championship before staying on from the rear for second in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

Omaha Beach went on to land the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes and was due to contest last weekend's Pegasus World Cup but was scratched when it was discovered he had an issue with an ankle.

"Omaha Beach is doing very well and we look forward to his arrival at the farm on Monday. This is a special horse with true breed-shaping potential, and we are hopeful his impact will carry on as an important sire for decades to come,” said Ned Toffey, general manager at Spendthrift.

"The response we’ve had from the breeding community has been overwhelming and very positive. We plan to show Omaha Beach at the farm for a brief period at 1 pm Tuesday. Then, we want to allow him to settle into his new surroundings and new lifestyle as we prepare for the upcoming breeding season."

Mandella said: "I think Omaha Beach is as good as they come. They just don’t get any better."

Campaigned by Fox Hill Farms, Omaha Beach retires to Spendthrift with earnings of $1,651,800 and hails from one of the industry’s most
productive dirt families in recent years.

He is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Charming, making him a half-brother to 2014 Breeders’ Cup winner and champion two-year-old filly
Take Charge Brandi.

Omaha Beach’s second dam is three-time Grade One-winning millionaire Take Charge Lady, whose son Will Take Charge was Champion Three-Year-Old Colt in 2013. She is also the dam of Florida Derby winner Take Charge Indy. Omaha Beach will stand his first season in 2020 for a fee of $45,000.

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