On a day when Kentucky Derby records fell by the wayside, it was only fitting that record producer Jerry Moss, along with his wife Ann, would take center stage in the winners circle after their colt, Giacomo, rallied from 18th-place to win the 131st Derby.
A crowd of 156,435, second-largest in Derby history, was on hand to witness this stunning upset. Giacomo returned $102.60 for a $2 win bet, the second-largest payout in Derby history (Donerail in 1913 paid $184.90). With Closing Argument finishing second at odds of 71/1, the exacta returned a Derby record $9,814.80. Afleet Alex, who was the second choice in the wagering, finished third to complete a $133,134.80 trifecta, another Derby record. And when Don't Get Mad squeezed into the fourth spot at odds of 29/1, we had a $1 superfecta worth $864,253.50 - and you guessed it, another Derby record. There were only five winning superfecta tickets sold throughout the country, none at Churchill Downs, reinforcing just how surprising the order of finish truly was.
The winner was the first Derby starter for trainer John Shirreffs. While most of the Derby entrants shipped into Churchill weeks before the big race to acclimate to the track and the new surroundings, Shirreffs didn't bring Giacomo to Louisville until the Wednesday before the race. That decision paid off handsomely, as Shirreffs will now share with Jerry and Ann Moss a first-place prize of $1,639,600. Also sharing in the spotlight on Saturday was jockey Mike Smith. Smith was aboard 1994 Derby favorite Holy Bull when that colt finished 12th — Holy Bull is the sire of Giacomo. The happy connections will now travel to Pimlico and Belmont in search of the elusive Triple Crown.
---------
Churchill Downs recently completed its $121 million renovation and likely couldn't be happier with the week/files/storyimages/turnout (a crowd of 111,234 turned out on Friday for the Kentucky Oaks, yet another record). Churchill's Spring Meet will now continue through July 10th, with racing Wednesday through Sunday, plus Monday May 30th (Memorial Day) and Monday, July 4th. Post time for racing Wednesday through Sunday (and Holidays) is 1:15 ET. Once again this year post time on Fridays will be 2:45 ET, featuring the extremely popular 'Happy Hour' from 4:00-7:00 ET.
