Favored Omaha Beach Out Of Derby With Entrapped Epiglottis

Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach will be scratched from Saturday's 145th Kentucky Derby due to an entrapped epiglottis, according to Hall of Fame trainer Richard Mandella. Daily Racing Form's Jay Privman first reported the news Wednesday evening.

“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.”

An entrapped epiglottis occurs when a fold of tissue called the aryepiglottic fold becomes stuck and blocks the epiglottis, which covers the horse's larynx to prevent food from going down the trachea or “wind pipe.” The condition is typically corrected with surgery.

Horses with an entrapped epiglottis will often make unusual noise while breathing during exercise and may show reduced performance.

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..