Omaha Beach's pre-Breeders' Cup plans still pending

Richard Mandella led Omaha Beach, recovered from an entrapped epiglottis that required a late scratch of the Kentucky Derby favorite and surgery, to the track Monday morning for a gallop. And then the Hall of Fame trainer took time to comment.

“I don’t have big plans with him other than the Breeders’ Cup in the fall,” Mandella said. “He’s just galloping now, getting him legged up, and I may start breezing him in the next week or two.

"There’s a chance I might run him in the 3-year-old stakes at the end of the meeting. If it works out. We’ll see how it goes.”

The Shared Belief, formerly the El Cajon, is a $100,000 mile event on Sunday, Aug. 25.

“I’m particularly glad to be back at Del Mar this year,” Mandella said. “It seemed like there was a black cloud over Santa Anita and anything that could go wrong did go wrong. What a shame for a track as great as that.

"Hopefully we start here with fresher faces and a fresh outlook.”

Mandella has Anonymity, second in the Great Lady M at Los Alamitos, as a possible for the Aug. 11 Rancho Bernardo (G3) or an outside chance at the July 28 Clement L. Hirsch (G1).

United, second in the Whittingham at Santa Anita in May, is entered in Wednesday’s second race, a possible stepping stone to the Aug. 17 Del Mar Handicap (G2).