Omaha Beach

Farms’ Omaha Beach stretched out to six furlongs Aug. 12 at Del Mar in his fourth work back since recovering from minor throat surgery in early May, and remains on target for a comeback start in the Aug. 25 Shared Belief Stakes at the seaside oval.

Trainer Richard Mandella sent Omaha Beach out with the filly Magical Kiss, who the War Front  colt has been working with regularly, and saw him through a 1:13 3/5 drill under retired jockey Alex Solis, who is now an assistant to Mandella. The colt ranked second fastest of four at the distance Monday.

"He had a nice work. This was meant to be kind of a medium work, not real hard," Mandella said. "He was much the best of his stablemate ... and next week we'll probably go a little more serious."

The Hall of Fame conditioner added Omaha Beach will work another six furlongs next week and gallop out to seven furlongs.

"So far everything's good," Mandella said of making the Shared Belief, a $100,000 mile race for 3-year-olds, in just under two weeks.

While connections decided to keep Omaha Beach close to home instead of shipping to Saratoga Race Course his first start back, owner Rick Porter is hopeful he’ll be taking a trip to Parx Racing Sept. 21 for the Pennsylvania Derby (G1).

"I'm getting excited. I've decided I'm not going to go all the way out to this race (the Shared Belief)," said Porter, located in Delaware. "We'll watch this one on TV and then hopefully we're going to do real well and go to the Pennsylvania Derby, which it looks like there's going to be some good horses in."

Possible runners for the Pennsylvania Derby include the disqualified Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) first-place finisher Maximum Security, Preakness Stakes (G1) winner War of Will, and Mr. Money, who has won four consecutive grade 3 races by open lengths since Derby day.

"That'll be real easy to get to," Porter said. "But then I hope I'll be going back out to California the first of November. Time will tell."

The Breeders' Cup World Championships return to Santa Anita Park this year Nov. 1-2, and the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) is a year-end goal for Omaha Beach.

After winning a division of the Rebel Stakes (G2) and the Arkansas Derby (G1) at Oaklawn Park this spring, Omaha Beach missed the Kentucky Derby with an entrapped epiglottis. He received minor throat surgery May 3 at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, then recovered at WinStar Farm before returning to Mandella in Southern California.

"He (Mandella) told me that everything is the same as it was right now--his talent, his head," Porter said. "Everything's sitting on go."

Omaha Beach's most recent work follows a bullet five-furlongs in :59 4/5 Aug. 4, a half-mile in :49 1/5 July 29, and a bullet three furlongs in :36 3/5 July 23. The colt's regular jockey Mike Smith was aboard for last week's work.

Doug Branham and Marsha Naify's Amalfi Sunrise and Clearview Stables' Immediate Impact returned Del Mar's work tab Monday for their first works back since their recent starts.

Amalfi Sunrise ran her record to 2-for-2 when she took the Aug. 3 Sorrento Stakes (G2) by six lengths. Trainer Simon Callaghan sent the daughter of freshman sire Constitution  out for a half-mile in :48 4/5.

Hall of Famer Bob Baffert saddled Immediate Impact, a 2-year-old half sister to champion Arrogate , for a debut victory July 28. The Into Mischief  filly drew off to take a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight by 6 3/4 lengths, and Monday she turned in a five-furlong move in 1:01 1/5.