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Omaha (b. 1932 in Kentucky, d. April 24, 1959 at Aksarben Racetrack, Omaha, Nebraska)
Omaha was an American thoroughbred race horse the son of 1930 Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox and Flambino. Omaha was the third horse to win the Triple Crown having won as a three year old in 1935.
Omaha was an unlikely champion. As a two year old he won just once in nine races. In four of the nine races, Omaha finished out of the money. During the winter, however, Omaha filled out and began to look like a champion and he won the three Triple Crown races easily.
The horse was owned by William Woodward and trained by Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons, who also trained Omaha's sire to the Triple Crown. He was ridden by Canadian jockey Willie Saunders.
In January of 1936, amidst great fanfare, Omaha was shipped to England aboard the RMS Aquitania and on May 30th won the Queens Plate at Kempton Park. On June 18, in front of a crowd estimated at 200,000, Omaha lost the 2 1-2-mile Ascot Gold Cup by a head to the filly, Quashed.
As a sire, Omaha was not considered a great horse. Four generations later, his blood ran through the veins of the great British champion Nijinsky II. Three Kentucky Derby champions are third great grandsons of Omaha.
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