Kentucky Derby 2019 Favorite Omaha Beach Scratched from Race

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Churchill Downs will be missing the favorite during Saturday’s 2019 Kentucky Derby.

The event’s official Twitter account announced on Wednesday Omaha Beach was scratched from the race after being diagnosed with entrapped epiglottis. 

As Marco D’Angelo of Las Vegas Sportsline ESPN 1100 highlighted, Omaha Beach was listed at 4-1, which were the lowest odds of the entire field: 

Yahoo Sports Pat Forde noted entrapped epiglottis is a “breathing obstruction that compromises a horse’s ability to breathe during exercise.” It was discovered during a Wednesday examination when Omaha Beach was coughing.

Omaha Beach, who is trained by Richard Mandella, already won the Grade I Arkansas Derby in April and the Grade II Rebel Stakes in March and was primed to add to the resume on Saturday. He also drew the No. 12 post on Tuesday, which was solid positioning because he wouldn’t have to worry about getting caught on the rail or making up too much ground from the outside.

Dana O’Neil of The Athletic opined that a “wide open field just got even more wide open” and pointed to the missed opportunity for jockey Mike Smith, who rode Justify to the Triple Crown in 2018:

Those Bob Baffert-trained horses figure to take over the role of favorite now that Omaha Beach is out. Roadster won the Santa Anita Derby, while Game Winner finished in second at that race and the Rebel Stakes. Game Winner also won the Sentient Jet Breeders’ Cup Juvenile at Churchill Downs in November.

Baffert quickly put to rest the notion he will ask Smith to ride Game Winner, telling Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated he will keep Florent Geroux in that position.

“I didn’t consider it,” he said. “I’m all in with Flo. I feel a lot sadness for Richard and Mike.”