Giacomo Looks to Become Part of Elite Group
The last time the Kentucky Derby winner returned to win the Santa Anita Handicap was 1988, when Alysheba beat 1986 Derby winner Ferdinand.
Giacomo will try to join that exclusive club Saturday when he and eight others compete in the $1-million Big ‘Cap, which will be run for the 69th time.
Other Derby winners who completed the parlay in the Santa Anita Handicap are Spectacular Bid, Affirmed and Lucky Debonair.
At this point, Giacomo can’t be compared to any of these greats.
Trained by John Shirreffs for owners Jerry and Ann Moss and Frank Stronach Stables, Giacomo has only one other victory besides his 50-1 shocker in the Kentucky Derby. The 4-year-old Holy Bull colt is the 7-2 third choice on Jeff Tufts’ morning line.
High Limit, who has begun his 4-year-old season with victories in the San Pasqual Handicap and Strub Stakes under jockey Patrick Valenzuela, is the 5-2 favorite. The son of Maria’s Mon is one of two that trainer Bobby Frankel will start in the Grade I at 1 1/4 miles. The Hall of Fame trainer also will send out longshot Marenostrum as he tries to win the Big ‘Cap for the third time in the last five years. He won it with Milwaukee Brew in 2002 and 2003.
“[High Limit] wasn’t ready in the San Pasqual,” Frankel said. “We just put him in and hoped for the best. He was a dead fit for the Strub. He’s moving well and racing well, but until you run him a mile and a quarter in a race where there might be a hot pace, you don’t know.”
Owned by Gary and Mary West, High Limit has tried 10 furlongs only once. He finished last in the 2005 Kentucky Derby, 44 1/2 lengths behind Giacomo.
Lava Man, who won the $1-million Sunshine Millions Classic on Jan. 28 in his first start as a 5-year-old, has won at the Santa Anita Handicap distance. In fact, his performance in the Hollywood Gold Cup was the best race of his career. He won by 8 3/4 lengths July 9, completing the 1 1/4 miles in 1:59 3/5.
Although he wasn’t nearly as visually impressive in the Sunshine Millions Classic, Lava Man did get the job done. It was his fifth win in 15 starts since he was claimed for $50,000 by trainer Doug O’Neill for owners Jason Wood and Steve and Dave Kenly, who race as STD Racing Stable.
“Going into his last race, I thought he was back to where he was prior to Del Mar,” O’Neill said. “And he ran very well.”
From the inside out, the rest of the Santa Anita Handicap field includes With Distinction, Magnum, Texcess, Spellbinder, who is also owned by the Mosses, and Wilko.
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Entries were taken Wednesday also for the three other graded stakes on the Saturday program.
Like the Santa Anita Handicap, the $200,000 Santa Catalina Stakes attracted nine entrants, headed by 6-5 morning-line choice Brother Derek.
Considered by many as the top 3-year-old in the country, he will seek his fifth win in seven starts and his third in a row at Santa Anita.
A Grade II at 1 1/16 miles, the Santa Catalina -- which will be renamed the Robert B. Lewis Memorial beginning in 2007 -- also drew Hawkinsville, Mister Triester, Latent Heat (the 5-2 second choice), Wanna Runner, Niagara Causeway, Objective, Blazing Sunset and Sacred Light.
The other two stakes are the $300,000 Kilroe Mile, a Grade I on the turf, and the $100,000 Baldwin for 3-year-olds at about 6 1/2 furlongs on the grass.
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Jockey Alex Solis and trainer Mel Stute are among the 12 finalists for the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame.
The finalists were announced Wednesday after a vote of the 14 members of the nominating committee. There had been 91 candidates.
The Hall of Fame’s panel will vote again next month. For an individual to be elected he needs to receive a vote on at least 75% of the ballots and have the highest number of votes in the category.
If no one receives votes on 75% of the ballots, there will be no inductee in the category. The inductees will be announced May 30 and the induction ceremony will be Aug. 7 at Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Besides Solis, who is a finalist for the first time, the other contenders in the jockey category are Craig Perret, who has more than 4,300 winners, and Eddie Maple, who finished with nearly 4,900 victories. Solis, who has more than 4,300 winners, won the 1986 Preakness with Snow Chief, who was trained by Stute.
The other finalists in the trainer category are the late Bob Wheeler, who trained, among others, Silver Spoon -- a filly who beat the boys in the 1959 Santa Anita Derby -- and Bug Brush, and John Veitch, whose best horses included Alydar, Davona Dale and Our Mims.