LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Suddenly, the Kentucky Derby is wide open.
Arkansas Derby winner and Kentucky Derby favorite Omaha Beach was scratched because of a breathing problem Wednesday night, leaving a pair of Hall of Famers on the sideline -- trainer Richard Mandella and jockey Mike Smith.
Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia revised the morning line to make Game Winner the 9-2 favorite for the 1 1/4-mile race Saturday.
Improbable and Roadster were installed as the co-second choices at 5-1, giving five-time Derby-winning trainer Bob Baffert the top three choices in the 20-horse field.
Mandella told The Associated Press that Omaha Beach developed a cough and a subsequent veterinary exam showed the colt has an entrapped epiglottis. It's generally not life- or career-threatening and is typically corrected with minor surgery.
The epiglottis becomes entrapped when a fold of tissue known as the aryepiglottic fold blocks the epiglottis, which covers the horse's larynx to prevent food from going down the trachea, or "wind pipe," according to the online Paulick Report, which follows the horse industry.
The signs of epiglottic entrapment include respiratory noise during exercise and poor exercise performance, and that other, less common, signs include cough, nasal discharge and headshaking, according to the Merck Veterinary Manual.
The surgery requires cutting the aryepiglottic fold and freeing the epiglottis.
"It's been 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 starters.
The trainer said Omaha Beach will have surgery in Kentucky in the next few days and will be sidelined for two to three weeks. The ordeal will knock him off the Triple Crown trail.
"It's such a disappointment, but we'll fight again," Mandella told the AP. "We won't be out a long time."
The scratch was another blow to cancer survivor Rick Porter, the colt's 78-year-old owner. He has twice finished second in the Derby, in 2007 with Hard Spun and the following year with filly Eight Belles, who broke her ankles past the finish line and had to be euthanized.
"He's a great sport," Mandella said. "I've got very good support."
Omaha Beach had been the 4-1 early favorite.
Mandella's dry sense of humor came out when he said, "My wife has my leg tied down so I can't jump out of the window."
Smith had chosen to ride Omaha Beach instead of Roadster and now he won't have a chance to win the Derby for the second consecutive year. He rode Justify to victory last year.
"I'm a little bummed out, but the horse is OK and we're going to be all right," Smith told the AP by phone. "The good news is it wasn't anything that is life-threatening."
Smith has three mounts on Friday's card at Churchill Downs and five Saturday.
"I'll be rooting for Roadster's connections big-time," he said. "I'll be a glorified cheerleader."
Omaha Beach galloped Wednesday morning without problem and Mandella said everything was fine. But that changed by late afternoon when the exam showed the cough was more than a minor irritation.
The condition can indicate the start of a virus, a sore throat or a sore somewhere in the horse's soft palate.
Omaha Beach's scratch moves Bodexpress into the field in the No. 20 post.
Mandella said he would likely return to Southern California before the Derby.
"I didn't lose interest," he said, "but I don't want to be here and watch it."
It's not the first time the Derby has lost a favorite leading up to the race.
In 2009, I Want Revenge became the first morning-line favorite to scratch the day of the race because of a hot spot on his ankle.
Omaha Beach won the Grade 1 Arkansas Derby on April 13 at Oaklawn Park as well as the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes on March 16.
For 2019, he has had 4 starts, with 3 firsts, 1 second and earnings of $1,094,000. He has had 7 starts in his career, with 3 firsts, 3 seconds, 1 third and earnings of $1,121,800.
Adjusted post positions
$3 MILLION KENTUCKY DERBY
Saturday at Churchill Downs, Louisville, Ky.
PP HORSE JOCKEY ODDS
1 War of Will Gaffalione 20-1
2 Tax Alvarado 20-1
3 By My Standards G.Saez 20-1
4 Gray Magician Van Dyke 50-1
5 Improbable Ortiz 6-1
6 Vekoma Castellano 20-1
7 Maximum Security L.Saez 10-1
8 Tacitus Ortiz 10-1
9 Plus Que Parfait Santana 30-1
10 Cutting Humor Lanerie 30-1
11 Haikal Maragh 30-1
12 Code Of Honor Velazquez 15-1
13 Win Win Win Pimentel 15-1
14 Master Fencer Leparoux 50-1
15 Game Winner Rosario 5-1
16 Roadster Geroux 6-1
17 Long Range Toddy Court 30-1
18 Spinoff Franco 30-1
19 Country House Mott 30-1
20 Bodexpress Landeros 30-1
BOLD indicates horse that competed at
Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs this season.
Sports on 05/02/2019