Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach scratched by breathing problem

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Suddenly, the Kentucky Derby is wide open.

Omaha Beach, the favorite, was scratched by a breathing problem Wednesday night, leaving two people on the sidelines: coach Richard Mandella and jockey Mike Smith.

Churchill Downs punter Mike Battaglia revised the morning line to make Game Winner the 9-2 favorite for the 1/1 mile race on Saturday.

Improbable and Roadster were placed in second place at 5-1, giving Bob Baffert, five-time Derby winner, the top three picks in the 20-horse pack.

Mandella told the Associated Press that Omaha Beach had developed a cough and that a subsequent veterinary examination had shown that the foal had a trapped epiglottis. This is not usually a threat to life or career and is usually corrected by minor surgery.

"It's a devastating thing, but we have to do what's right for the horse," said Mandella, who has never won the Derby with six previous appearances.

The coach said Omaha Beach was going to be operated in Kentucky in the coming days and would remain away for two to three weeks. The event will make him fall off the Triple Crown track.

"It's a disappointment, but we will fight again," Mandella told AP. "We will not be outside long."

This scratch was another blow for cancer survivor Rick Porter, the 78-year-old owner of the colt. He finished second twice at the Derby, in 2007 with Hard Spun and the following year with filly Eight Belles, who fractured his ankle beyond the finish line and had to to be euthanized.

"It's a great sport," said Mandella. "I have a very good support."

Omaha Beach had been the favorite 4-1.

Mandella's sense of dry humor appeared when he said: "My wife has her leg tied to the floor so that I can not jump out the window."

Smith had chosen to drive Omaha Beach instead of Roadster and he will have no chance of winning the Derby for the second year in a row. He drove Justify to victory last year.

"I'm a little disappointed, but the horse is fine and everything will be fine," Smith told AP over the phone. "The good news is that nothing is life threatening."

Smith has three mounts on Friday's map at Churchill Downs and five on Saturday.

"I will encourage Roadster's relations on a grand scale," he said. "I will be a glorified cheerleader."

Omaha Beach ran on Wednesday morning without a problem and Mandella said everything was fine. But that changed towards the end of the afternoon, when the examination showed that cough was more than a minor irritation.

The condition may indicate the beginning of a virus, sore throat or sore somewhere in the soft palate of the horse.

The scratch of Omaha Beach moves Bodexpress on the ground at post # 20.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Mandella said that he would probably return to Southern California before the Derby.

"I have not lost interest," he said, "but I do not want to be here and watch it."

This is not the first time the Derby has lost one of its favorites before the race.

In 2009, I Want Revenge became the first morning favorite to scratch the day of the race due to a hot spot on his ankle.