Derby Doings: Omaha Beach shows he's ready to head into battle

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The countdown to the Kentucky Derby has begun, and after the way his colt Omaha Beach worked on Saturday, Derby Day can’t come soon enough for trainer Richard Mandella.

“How many more days we got?” Mandella asked rhetorically shortly after Omaha Beach, in his final work for the 145th Derby, one week away, worked a sharp five furlongs on Saturday morning at Churchill Downs.

Omaha Beach was timed in 58.91 seconds on the watch of Daily Racing Form’s Mike Welsch. Julien Leparoux was aboard Omaha Beach for the drill. He worked in company until midstretch, and then left his workmate well back.

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This work was the only one for Omaha Beach following his victory in the Arkansas Derby. He doesn’t need much, being as he’s coming back just three weeks after his last race and has been steadily racing and training since last summer at Del Mar.

“Just a good work,” Mandella remarked. “Wanted to school him behind the other horse, let him run down the stretch, and he responded very well

“My intention was to have one good work – he’s had enough racing -- and we got that.”

Omaha Beach’s work certainly got the attention of rival trainer Bob Baffert, who has three horses in the Derby. Asked by a passerby what advice he’d give Mandella, Baffert replied, “Tell him the Preakness is looking good.”

Mike Smith has the mount on Omaha Beach in the Derby. He had the choice between Omaha Beach and Santa Anita Derby winner Roadster, who is trained by Baffert.

The draw for the Derby is Tuesday, and more than the maximum 20 horses are expected to be entered.

Most of the Derby runners are turning in their final works over the weekend. There were three others who worked at Churchill Downs on Saturday – Plus Que Parfait and War of Will, who are certain of making the Derby field, and Signalman, who needs a couple of defections in order to get in.

War of Will lost his action in his hind end shortly after the start of his most-recent race, the Louisiana Derby, but he worked Saturday as though that is well in the rearview mirror. With jockey Tyler Gaffalione aboard, he went a sharp half-mile in company in 47.36 seconds and then galloped out with enthusiasm.

“I don’t know how you could ask a horse to work any better than he just did,” said Mark Casse, who trains War of Will. “He’s always had a fondness for Churchill, and you just saw it.

“He loves it here. He’s on top of his game.”

Much like in Omaha Beach’s work, War of Will sat just behind and outside his company before asserting his superiority.

“Around the turn, I just kept him behind, and when we tipped out into the stretch, I let him come off cover and he just took me,” Gaffalione said. “He's full of himself and really acting like himself.”

Plus Que Parfait, the winner of the United Arab Emirates Derby, was the first of the Derby runners to drill, immediately after the morning renovation break. He was timed going five furlongs in 1:01.84 for trainer Brendan Walsh.

Signalman, working in company, went five furlongs in 1:00.35 under jockey Brian Hernandez Jr., who has the mount if he draws in. Signalman is ranked 22nd on the points list.

If nothing changes between now and Tuesday, Signalman would be the second also-eligible, and would have until Friday morning -- scratch time for both Derby Day and Kentucky Oaks Day -- to draw in, but that scenario doesn’t interest his trainer, Kenny McPeek.

“I’ve really got him good right now, so obviously we’re hoping to get in,” McPeek said. “If we get excluded, I don’t think I’d want to be on the (also-eligible list) because then you get a bad post. We’d just go in the Preakness.”

Signalman suffered a minor cut near an eye in a stall mishap prior to his work, but the incident won't prevent the colt from racing in the Derby if he can make the field, McPeek said.

“He reared up in his stall and hit his head,” McPeek said. “We didn’t think it was much, but when he came back from his work it was bleeding, so we had a couple of stitches put in.”

- additional reporting by Marty McGee and Nicole Russo