Omaha Beach

Hang on a minute. Weren't the seven fat years supposed to be followed by seven lean years? The way the market has gone in 2021, we have barely had seven lean minutes. Nothing, certainly, approaching the kind of reset required, logically and historically, for the cyclical functioning of capitalism. The prospect of some such "correction" had been the only latent comfort, cold as it was, for a bloodstock market confronted by the global economic shock of the pandemic. Because a decade of almost relentless growth wasn't even ending due to...

In Friday's TDN, Brian DiDonato provided a list of weanling siblings and dams of Breeders' Cup Friday contenders entered in the Keeneland November Sale. Today, Christie DeBernardis followed up with Saturday Breeders' Cup contenders, their dams and younger siblings who are set to sell at that marquee auction. As Brian said, there is no update like a Breeders' Cup update! Hip 103 - GI Breeders' Cup F/M Sprint contender Edgeway (Competitive Edge) will head straight from Del Mar to Lexington, where she will be offered in Book 1 of KEENOV....

One of the most successful and respected owners of his era, Rick Porter died on June 6 after a long battle with cancer. He was 80 years old. He campaigned three Eclipse Award winners: Kodiak Kowboy (2009 sprinter); Songbird (2015 2-year-old filly and 2016 3-year-old filly) and Havre de Grace (2011 older mare and Horse of the Year). Before he was an owner, Porter was a racing fan. He was born in Wilmington, Delaware and began accompanying his parents to Delaware Park as a child where his father made $2...

Spendthrift Farm's three-time Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front--Charming, by Seeking the Gold) sired his first reported foal Jan. 27 when a colt was born at Burleson Farms in Midway, KY. "We are thrilled with our first Omaha Beach foal and excited to have three more coming here on the farm," said Lyn Burleson. "This colt has all the right angles and a great frame to go with it. Very athletic." Bred by Nice Guys Stable, the gray colt is the first foal out of the young Scat Daddy...

What an interesting crossroads we reach with the next group of young stallions in our survey. On the one hand, you have this new dynamic in the marketplace, with Spendthrift increasingly welcoming blue-chip prospects to build on its blue-collar successes. Yes, these may be looking to build more conventional, fee-based careers, as opposed to relying on the type of innovative promotions that helped Into Mischief evolve from a source of cheap commercial speed into the champion sire of a Kentucky Derby winner (who has himself now joined the roster, of...

Keeneland has cataloged 3,777 horses for the 2020 November Breeding Stock Sale, which opens Monday, Nov. 9, two days after Keeneland hosts the Breeders' Cup World Championships for the second time. Buyers will be able to participate in the auction remotely through online and telephone bidding options successfully introduced at the September Yearling Sale, while the new bidding location at the Show Barn next to the Sales Pavilion again will be available to allow for proper social distancing. Keeneland's COVID-19 protocols for the November Sale will be similar to those...

It could be quite a Derby week for Spendthrift Farm and its owner B. Wayne Hughes. Spendthrift has never won a Triple Crown race but is in solid position in this year's GI Kentucky Derby with two starters it co-owns, Authentic (Into Mischief) and Thousand Words (Pioneerof the Nile). It could also be a huge couple of days for Spendthrift's white-hot stallion, Into Mischief. He will be represented by 'TDN Rising Star' Authentic in the Derby and by the freakishly fast 'Rising Star' Gamine in the GI Kentucky Oaks. Hughes...

Spendthrift Farm's newly retired Omaha Beach, the three-time Grade I-winning 3-year-old by War Front, had his first mare confirmed in foal Tuesday. Theyskens' Theory, a Grade III-winning juvenile and multiple Grade I-placed daughter of Bernardini, checked in foal at Claiborne Farm in Paris, KY. A half-sister to champion 2-year-old Stevie Wonderboy (Stephen Got Even), Theyskens' Theory is owned by Andrew Rosen's AR Enterprises LLC. Omaha Beach retired to Spendthrift last month. An earner of $1,651,800, Omaha Beach is out of the Seeking the Gold mare Charming, making him a half-brother...

If a horse is standing at a major farm in Kentucky you can be assured that he was a quality racehorse. That's Omaha Beach (War Front--Charming, by Seeking the Gold). He earned $1.6 million, won three Grade I races and would have been the favorite in the GI Kentucky Derby if not for a minor issue that led to his being scratched. But what separates Omaha Beach, who is entering stud this year at Spendthrift Farm, from so many others is his versatility. During his 2019 campaign, he won at...

by Kelsey Riley & Bill Finley LEXINGTON, KY-Less than 24 hours after arriving at Spendthrift Farm, three-time Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front) was paraded on Tuesday afternoon for a crowd of breeders, media and fans, with farm owner B. Wayne Hughes making an appearance to welcome the latest addition to his stallion roster, who starts out this year at $45,000. The imposing bay posed for upwards of 20 minutes, his behavior more reminiscent of a seasoned stallion than a colt fresh off the racetrack. "He's a remarkably intelligent...

Multiple Grade I winner Omaha Beach (War Front--Charming, by Seeking the Gold), forced to miss his expected career finale in Saturday's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational, is scheduled to arrive at Spendthrift Farm late Monday to begin his stud career. The 4-year-old will briefly be available for viewing at 1 p.m. Tuesday. "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...

In what may be an unprecedented example of bad luck for a major race, Saturdays's GI Pegasus Invitational lost not just its marquee star, but also its second choice Thursday. The day kicked off with the news that GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile winner Spun to Run (Hard Spun) would be scratched due to a skin issue. About five hours later, it was learned that morning-line favorite Omaha Beach (War Front) would also be a late scratch as trainer Richard Mandella discovered his colt had an issue with his right...