It goes without saying that no one forgets attending their first Kentucky Derby (gr. I). However, every once in a while along comes a Derby story that is not only memorable but also unlikely to ever be surpassed. This is one of those stories and it begins with our visit to a stallion farm near Lexington two days before the 2005 Kentucky Derby.
Every racing fan has a favorite race horse that hooks them into the sport of kings forever. For us, that horse was 1994 Horse of the Year Holy Bull. So when my wife and I decided to hire a guide to take us on a private tour of some of the stallion farms around Lexington, securing an audience with Holy Bull was most important. A truly great racehorse, Holy Bull was the big favorite to win the 1994 Kentucky Derby, but ran the most baffling and disappointing race of his career. To this day I cannot watch the replay.
Feeding peppermints to A.P. Indy and Empire Maker and witnessing top stallion Storm Cat cover an unraced daughter of Mr. Prospector were truly exceptional experiences, but spending time with Holy Bull at Jonabell Farm was the equivalent of meeting your favorite ball player. The level of excitement at Jonabell that day was palpable since for the first time, one of Holy Bull's own sons made it to the "Big Race." The colt was to be ridden for trainer John Shirreffs and owners Ann and Jerry Moss by none other than jockey Mike Smith, who rode Holy Bull himself in the 1994 Derby. Photo: Courtesy Michael DiMenna
Sherri and Michael DiMenna at Jonabell /Darley farm visiting Holy Bull on May 5, 2005.
On race day we were seated in a box very close to the finish line and just off the rail. The horses and their connections made the processional walk from the barns passing directly in front of us and into the tunnel to the paddock. Every horse with rider up then paraded past us again to the verses of "My Old Kentucky Home." It was an unbelievably emotional moment.
The energy, excitement, and tension that fill the entirety of Churchill Downs as the starting gates open is almost unbearable. The sound of 20 colts pounding the ground as they ran by us the first time was unforgettable. But it was the stretch run that seemed to unfold in slow motion. I vividly remember Closing Argument chasing Afleet Alex and then, out of the corner of my left eye, another horse closing fast. As he ran right by us and I could clearly identify him, I leaned over to my wife and said "I think he is going to run by them all!"
And he did. His name was Giacomo, son of the great Holy Bull, and he had just avenged his sire's defeat in the 1994 Derby by winning the 2005 Kentucky Derby, our first Kentucky Derby, at odds of 50-1.
I like to believe that the equine gods were smiling down on us that special day leaving subtle hints all around as to why Giacomo might win. It started with the fistful of win, place and show wagers that we placed on behalf of all of the Holy Bull faithful back home. There was our tour guide captivating us with the story of her husband having bred the winner of the 2001 Kentucky Derby. Jockey Mike Smith was wearing his old tattered 1994 Holy Bull tee shirt under his race day silks. And a gentleman in our box pointed out that races 5, 6, 8, and 9 were all won by the horse whose saddlecloth number matched the number of the race that each were running in. Of course, Giacomo would wear number 10 and run in the tenth race. Fickle bunch those equine gods, but eventually they will find you and reward you for your years of dedication to the sport with an experience that you will cherish for a lifetime.
This past January we had the opportunity to visit with Giacomo at Heritage Farm in Maryland where he is now enjoying life as a stallion. It was the first time that we would see him in the flesh since the day he won the Derby 10 years ago this May. To say that he looked anything but grand would be an understatement. And as we thanked him for that amazing Derby performance and watched him dance back to the stallion barn, I couldn't help but think back to my favorite memory from his great day. Photo: Courtesy Michael DiMenna
Visiting with Giacomo at Heritage Stallion Farm in Maryland.
It was the morning after that unforgettable race and I was sitting in the hotel lobby enjoying a cup a coffee. I picked up a copy of the Sunday Lexington Herald-Leader, flipped it over, and just stared at the headline, "Holy Giacomoly!"
Then, with the biggest smile on my face I said aloud, to no one in particular, "all's right with the world"
