‘Beach’ Back Around One Turn for Malibu

[Wandering Eyes]

The versatile Omaha Beach (War Front) will look to squeeze a third Grade I win in 2019 onto his C.V. Saturday in the Runhappy Malibu S., one of four graded events pushed back from Thursday when wet weather forced Santa Anita to postpone its opening day card. The Fox Hill Farms colorbearer was a likely GI Kentucky Derby favorite after good-looking victories in a division of the GII Rebel S. and the GI Arkansas Derby earlier this year before being forced to miss the “Run for the Roses” due to an entrapped epiglottis that required surgery. He reemerged over the somewhat surprising six-furlong distance of the GI Santa Anita Sprint Championship Oct. 5, and was able to run down speedster Shancelot (Shanghai Bobby) and prevail by a head. A trio of Breeders’ Cup races were under consideration for the future Spendthrift Farm resident, and his connections opted for the GI Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile. He found himself too far back as the even-money favorite, however, and settled for second behind fellow sophomore Spun to Run (Hard Spun). That colt was second to another leading member of this year’s crop of 3-year-olds, Maximum Security (New Year’s Day), in the GI Cigar Mile H. earlier this month. Omaha Beach’s trainer Richard Mandella will be looking to add to his record five wins in this event.

Klaravich Stables and trainer Chad Brown were second in this prestigious event last year with Identity Politics (Into Mischief), and ship in a flashier competitor for 2019. ‘TDN Rising Star‘ Complexity (Maclean’s Music) went two-for-two in last October’s GI Champagne S., but he was a speed-and-fade 10th in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. He didn’t fare any better when resurfacing in the GI Woody Stephens S. at Belmont June 8, but bounced back with a very impressive 7 1/4-length romp in an Aqueduct optional claimer going this distance Nov. 20, good for a 101 Beyer Speed Figure that isn’t far off what Omaha Beach has been running. Complexity prepped locally with a :48 3/5 leg stretcher Saturday (XBTV Video).

The somewhat puzzling ‘Rising Star‘ Roadster (Quality Road) has a right to wake up on the cutback. He ran down champion stablemate Game Winner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Santa Anita Derby over nine furlongs here in April, but did no running in the GI Kentucky Derby after a wide journey over a sloppy surface he never seemed to handle. Second in the GIII Affirmed S. June 16, he returned from a 4 1/2-month break to finish second by a nose in the track-and-trip Nov. 2 Damascus S. to Flagstaff (Speightstown), who was third behind Omaha Beach in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship. Roadster came up totally empty when fourth of four at 4-5 in the GIII Native Diver S. back at 1 1/8 miles at Santa Anita three weeks thereafter.

The post ‘Beach’ Back Around One Turn for Malibu appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

View the full article