Daily Racing Form’s Mart McGee reports that Mine That Bird, the Kentucky Derby winner, was sent through his second workout since his last race, the June 6 Belmont Stakes, when he breezed a half-mile in 49.40 seconds Tuesday morning over a fast track at Churchill Downs.

     Going shortly after the renovation break, and with Jamie Theriot aboard, Mine That Bird went in splits of 13.20 seconds, 25.60, and 38 before galloping out five furlongs into the clubhouse turn in 1:01.80.

      Because the track was still wet Monday morning following heavy weekend rains, trainer Chip Woolley had delayed the scheduled breeze by one day.

    Mine That Bird, owned by Mark Allen and Dr. Leonard Blach, is scheduled to make his next start in the Aug. 1 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park in Chester, W.Va. Woolley said he tentatively plans to breeze the gelding on the next two Mondays before leaving Churchill in time to get in one workout at Mountaineer before the $750,000 West Virginia Derby.

      Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith will have the mount on Mine That Bird in the West Virginia Derby and in his next scheduled start, the $1 million Shadwell Travers on Aug. 29 at Saratoga. Beyond that, the gelding s connections have said they may have to revisit the jockey situation in regard to the end-of-year goal, the $5 million Breeders Cup Classic at Santa Anita on Nov. 7. Allen and Woolley said Calvin Borel is a possibility to get the mount back for the BC Classic.

      Mine That Bird won the May 2 Kentucky Derby before running second in the May 16 Preakness and third in the Belmont. Borel rode him in the Derby and Belmont.

JUST HOLD YOUR HORSES

      Here’s a sure bet. No horse trained by Giuseppe Iadisernia ever will win the Kentucky Derby.

      Iadisernia has the highest winning percentage of any trainer at Suffolk Downs with more than 12 starts this season, but he never races on Saturdays, the day the Derby and most high-stakes races are held.

      He’s a Seventh-day Adventist, a religion that observes the Sabbath from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday.

      That makes him the Sandy Koufax of horse racing.

      “If you gave me $5 million to run, I wouldn’t do it,’’ Iadisernia said. “I don’t race on Saturday. I respect God. My Kentucky’s in the sky, it’s not here.’’

      On a recent Saturday afternoon, when the stables of Suffolk are giddyup and go, Stable 14 is serene. Iadisernia is nowhere to be seen. The horses are resting. They have been fed and their stalls have been cleaned, but that’s it.

     “My horses are all Seventh-day Adventists,’’ he said with a laugh. “My secret is to work every day but Saturday, work hard, work long. That is my secret.’’

     And like Koufax, who refused to pitch on the Jewish High Holiday Yom Kippur during the World Series in 1965, he doesn’t like to talk about himself. He asks a reporter not to list his age (early 50s) and he refuses to answer questions about money.

      Born in Italy, Iadisernia moved to Caracas at age 6. He started working in a laundry.

      “I was rich with sweat,’’ he said. “I worked 18 hours every day.’’

       His dad, an electrician, liked the ponies.

       “My father brought me to the track on Sundays, ’’ he said. “He would always try to win the Pick Six and something like $31 million.’’

      He never did.

     As much as I respect his convictions, as a horse owner, I’ll have to look elsewhere for my trainer. If the Lord doesn’t frown on gambling, I would doubt he or she would care what day it’s done on.

WHO SAID HORSE RACING IS DEAD

     A news story from a Amarillo Texas TV station, reports that in Guymon, OK.,  nine people sit in theTexas County jail this afternoon charged with running an illegal horse racing operation.

     Around 7:30pm Sunday night, over 50 officers from various jurisdictions,  including the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement, broke up the ring north of Guymon.

     As part of Operation Belmont Stakes, officers detained around 150 people.

      The nine arrested include the track owner, jockey’s, horse owners, and those involved in the operation of the track.

      Officers also took 19 horses, and various vehicles, horse trailers, cash, electronic equipment, and racing equipment from the scene