Omaha Beach Exits Malibu In Good Order, Ships To Florida On The 31st

Omaha Beach and jockey Mike Smith after their win the Grade I $300,000 Runhappy Malibu Stakes Saturday, Dec. 28, 2019 at Santa Anita Park, Arcadia, CA©Benoit Photo

Omaha Beach, who fulfilled expectations in his final race at Santa Anita Saturday by winning the Grade I Runhappy Malibu Stakes, came out of the race in good order and it’s on to Gulfstream Park for his final race in the Grade I, $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational on Jan. 25. The son of War Front goes to stud after that.

“He came out of the race very good and he’ll leave Tuesday, Dec. 31,” trainer Richard Mandella said Sunday morning. “We thought he was leaving on the 30th, but it’s the 31st.

“We could hear the fans cheering for him, so it seems like he’s got a following. Waiting to have opening day on Saturday was a good thing, for the horses and for the public.”

Meanwhile, Santa Anita will be left with fond memories of Omaha Beach and what more he might have accomplished had he continued to race.

“It’s too bad we’re losing him,” said trainer David Bernstein, in his 45th year at Santa Anita who conditioned 1994 Eclipse Award winner as champion older male The Wicked North. “We haven’t seen the best of him.”