Breaking: Kentucky Derby Favorite Omaha Beach to Scratch With An Entrapped Epiglottis

May 01, 2019 Kevin Kerstein, Churchill Downs Communications

Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach will be scratched from Saturday’s 145^th renewal due to an entrapped epiglottis, according to Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella.

“After training this morning we noticed him cough a few times,” Mandella said. “It caused us to scope him and we found an entrapped epiglottis. We can’t fix it this week so we’ll have to have a procedure done in a few days and probably be out of training for three weeks. We’ll have to figure out a whole new game plan.”  

The epiglottis is a triangular-shaped cartilage that lies at the base of the airway just in front of the arytenoid cartilages which cover the airway during swallowing. When an abnormality occurs in this area it can hinder the performance of horses.

Mandella is scheduled to meet with the media Thursday at 8 a.m. outside of Barn 28 to further discuss the development.

With the scratch of Omaha Beach, Bodexpress will draw into the field and break from post position 20. All horses outside of Omaha Beach (post positions 13-20) will move over one position in the starting gate.