ONE of the top three-year-olds in the US, or some might argue the best one, Omaha Beach was the star of the opening season at Santa Anita on Saturday.

The colt had little trouble in winning the Grade 1 seven-furlong Malibu Stakes on a card moved from St Stephen’s Day due to bad weather but which went off without any hitches.

There were three Grade 1s on the card and it produced some feel-good stories with legendary jockey Mike Smith, now 54 years old, establishing a new record of 217 Grade 1 wins. He equalled Jerry Bailey’s total when he took the La Brea Stakes on the one-eyed Hard Not To Love before setting the new record on Omaha Beach.

Over 35,000 enjoyed the winter sunshine and dominant victories by favourites Gift Box in the Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes and Omaha Beach, dramatic photo finishes, and a last-to-first triumph by a one-eyed filly. Mike Smith also won the Grade 2 Robert J. Frankel Stakes with Mirth and the Lady Of Shamrock Stakes on Brill.

Omaha Beach had been one of the favourites for the Kentucky Derby in May after winning the Rebel and Arkansas Derby in Oaklawn Park but was withdrawn in the week of the race with a breathing problem.

He did not return until October when winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship Stakes over six furlongs, beating Grade 1 winner Shancelot, but failed to get to grips with Spun To Run in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile.

He had little trouble here, coming with a sweeping run around the final bend and winning without coming under any pressure, by two and a half lengths from Roadster.

Smith said: “He just gives you that confidence. Mr Mandella had him training up to this race so well. I basically just stayed as still as I could and didn’t want to mess it up. He did it all on his own, and he did it pretty handily today.”

Unfortunately, we may not really know how good the colt is, as the son of War Front has been syndicated to stand at Spendthrift Stud and will only have one more run, at Gulfstream Park in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Invitational on January 25th.

“He came out of the race very good,” trainer Richard Mandella said. “We could hear the fans cheering for him, so it seems like he’s got a following.”

Surprise win

Earlier on the card, Smith had equalled the Grade 1 record by riding Hard Not To Love, who is blind in her right eye, to a surprise win in the Grade 1 La Brea Stakes for three-year-old fillies. Simon Callaghan’s Bellafina was the odds-on favourite after her second in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint and she looked in line for success as she got the better of a duel with Mother Mother, but Smith got a great run from the back, down the outside on the John Shirreffs-trained, Canadian-bred daughter of Hard Spun.

Shirreffs said: “She only has the one eye, and when she gets nervous, she tends to spin around to see. This was a great race to win. For a filly to win a Grade 1, that’s like a PhD, so it makes it especially fulfilling.

“The filly is also a half-sister to Queen’s Plate winner Wonder Gadot.”

Shirreffs went on to say of the first meeting of the year, after all the troubles the track endured in 2019: “Santa Anita did a great job. They had these floral arrangements where people could take selfies in front of them, and I saw a lot of people doing that.”

The other Grade 1 on the card went to the Irish-bred Lady Prancealot after a perfect trip under a gutsy Joe Bravo in the American Oaks over 10 furlongs on turf.

Avoiding jostling into the first bend that impacted Mucho Unusual, the bay sliced through and went back down to the rail to confront Mucho Unusual for the stretch drive, and powered past to win by a half length.

Bravo said: “I take my hat off to Richard [Baltas] and his team. She was so relaxed post break, so turned off and relaxed like she had full control over the whole race. All I had to do was point her to the hole turning for home and she took me through. She made my job easy.”

Trained in Britain by David Evans at two, Lady Prancealot, a Sir Prancealot filly bred by Tally-Ho Stud, went stateside in September 2018 to finish second in the Del Mar Juvenile Fillies Turf. This year she had notched up Grade 3 wins in Santa Anita and last time out at Keeneland.

Lady Prancealot is the first Grade/Group 1 winner for her young sire.

Joel Rosario also rode two grade winners, adding to Gift Box’s win with Mo Forza who justified favouritism for Peter Miller in the Grade 2 Mathis Brothers Mile Stakes on turf.