He’ll track brother’s hoofsteps
Oh, brother.
Two years after longshot Giacomo roared from behind to win the Kentucky Derby, a half brother named Tiago rallied to win the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday and earn a trip to Churchill Downs.
With Giacomo’s jockey, Mike Smith, in the irons wearing the familiar green and pink silks of owners Jerry and Ann Moss, the 29-1 shot was ninth after half a mile before running down the rest of the 10-horse field to best King Of The Roxy by half a length.
“He finished today like Giacomo did in the Kentucky Derby,” Smith said. “I tell you, at the eighth pole, he hit another gear.”
Except for Tiago’s closing style and the silks and rider, you wouldn’t confuse the two horses even though they have the same dam, Set Them Free.
“One’s a gray and one’s a bay,” said trainer John Shirreffs, who also trained Giacomo, the gray Derby champion now retired to stud at Adena Springs in Kentucky.
Giacomo’s sire is Holy Bull, and Tiago is a son of Pleasant Tap.
Here’s another difference: Only Tiago won the Santa Anita Derby.
Giacomo didn’t win his prep race at Santa Anita, finishing fourth before the monumental upset at Churchill Downs, where he rallied from 18th place and paid $102.60, the second-highest payoff for a Derby winner.
Tiago was very much a longshot Saturday, paying $60.60 to win the 70th running of the Santa Anita Derby.
The upset contributed to a pick-six carry-over for today of more than $570,000 that was announced with two races still remaining.
Tiago was still fifth at the top of the stretch but gained the lead at the eighth-pole, covering the 1 1/8 -mile distance in 1:49.51 in front of 56,810, the largest on-track crowd on Santa Anita Derby day at Santa Anita Park since 1984.
“I thought right down to the 16th pole, I was going to win it,” said Richard Migliore, King Of The Roxy’s jockey. “Right there, I started to worry, because he really started to weaken under me. The other horse had some momentum, and it was a tough beat.”
Sam P., the 2-1 favorite, was third, more than three lengths behind the winner.
Liquidity, one of four Derby hopefuls trained by Doug O’Neill, was fourth, another disappointing result on the heels of a sixth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby.
“He’s still a little green,” jockey Corey Nakatani said. “I don’t think we’ve got to the bottom of him yet.”
When Tiago crossed the finish line in the $750,000 Grade I race, it marked the first time in the career of the 3-year-old that he actually crossed the wire first: His only other victory in four starts came via disqualification in a January race at Santa Anita. And he was seventh in his most recent race, March 7 at Santa Anita.
“This was a huge step for Tiago,” Shirreffs said. “I just can’t imagine how a horse can go from a maiden to a Grade I.”
Jerry Moss praised Smith’s ride, especially his urging down the stretch.
“I think we’re going to immortalize Mike’s left arm, because it sure has worked awful hard for us, and we’re very appreciative,” Moss said.
“He’s just the greatest guy, Mike, and to share another success with him like this is such a joy. We’re really knocked out that he’s got a horse for the Derby. Hopefully, it’s a good one.”
Tiago has more in common with Giacomo than a mother.
Moss, co-founder of A&M; Records, named Giacomo after a son of the musician Sting. Tiago was named after a son of the musician Sergio Mendes. Both translate as James.
Whether Tiago has a chance to match Giacomo’s one magic day remains to be seen.
“Now that Tiago has won a Grade I, he’ll probably be a lesser price than Giacomo was,” Moss said. “We hope he’s still got more to give us. This race obviously took something out of him. Hopefully he’s got something left and came out of it OK and we’ll be able to do well a month from now.”
That would May 5, Kentucky Derby Day.
“The thing with Giacomo is when he went to Kentucky, when he went out of the track, the rider said, ‘Boy, he loves this racetrack,’ ” Shirreffs said. “You talk about horses for courses.”
Now Giacomo’s connections are headed to Louisville again.
“The first time, following the trailer into Churchill Downs, that brought tears to my eyes,” Shirreffs said.
“Now we’re going back for the Kentucky Derby. It’s such a special, special moment.”
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