Jockey Mike Smith and trainer John Shirreffs kept saying Giacomo was a good horse. No one would listen. Turned out the colt with the musical connection was a surprising hit at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
Giacomo, a 50-1 shot to win, finished a half-length ahead of Closing Argument, an even longer shot at 72-1.
After 12 tries, Smith finally got into the Derby winner's circle, carried by the son of Holy Bull, one of his previous Derby losers.
PHOTO: AP
"I'm so numb," he said. "When I stood up at the wire, all the strength left my body and I was hanging on for dear life."
The victory was a sweet score for owners Jerry and Ann Moss of Los Angeles. He founded A&M Records with trumpeter Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass fame. The 1970s pop duo the Carpenters were one of the former label's biggest acts.
"It was hit records that got me here," Moss said, "but this is a pretty great thing."
Holding a huge bouquet of red roses and wearing a traditional Derby hat, Ann Moss said, "This is a dream come true."
Sting is a friend of the couple, who owned Giacomo's mother, Set Them Free -- the name of a hit song for the British rock star. They named another of their horses Styler, the last name of Sting's wife, Trudie.
At the start, Moss gripped his binoculars, trying to follow Giacomo and Smith, who were buried in 18th place behind an early blistering pace.
"It was not the easiest race to see from where we were. There's stuff in the way," he said. "I noticed going around the turn he was getting at least into contention."
As Moss caught more glimpses of his horse, he noticed Giacomo was running hard and realized there was still time to overtake Afleet Alex.
"I looked at Annie and we're jumping up and down," Moss said. "Ann knew it was over before I did."
Shirreffs couldn't see too well from his position at track level, either. He finally picked up Giacomo near the fourth-sixteenths pole, identifying the horse by the white shadow roll that keeps his eyes focused on the track.
"He just started gobbling up the ground and I thought, `Wow, we have a chance to hit the board,' then, `Oh no, we might even win it.' It was awesome," he said.
Shirreffs, the third consecutive trainer to win with his first Derby starter, had repeatedly assured Moss and his wife that Giacomo was doing well. His results showed just the opposite.
The colt came into the Derby with one victory in seven career races, and no wins in three previous races this year. He was fourth in the Santa Anita Derby, losing his final prep by two lengths.
"He had some trouble in a bunch of races in California," Moss said. "He was waiting to give us a really big one."
Giacomo moved up to 11th at the mile-marker, when Smith swung Giacomo to his preferred outside path.
"He just kept grinding and grinding," the jockey said.
So has Smith.
Hardly a no-name, he rode 1993 Preakness Stakes winner Prairie Bayou and Horse of the Year Azeri. He's in US racing's Hall of Fame, too.
But he began doubting whether he would ever get a whiff of the winner's red roses after three second-place finishes, including last year when Smarty Jones beat Lion Heart and Smith.
"I know what it likes to hurt that bad, too," he said. "I'm just glad I got to win one."
One of Smith's Derby heartbreaks came in 1994, when he rode Holy Bull -- the sire of Giacomo. Holy Bull reacted badly after getting banged around leaving the starting gate and finished 12th.
"It knocked the air out of him," Smith recalled. "You want to talk about a sad day."
That bad memory was replaced Saturday by a grin that stuck to Smith's face.
"I was proud of myself," he said. "I did good today. I did really good."
Moss turns 70 today and wasn't worried about how to mark the occasion.
"This was plenty," he said.
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