Giacomo, by Lezah

Giacomo
In 1994, jockey Mike Smith rode favorite Holy Bull to a disappointing 12th place finish in the Kentucky Derby.  Holy Bull went on to have a stellar career, but perhaps one of his greatest achievements might be what happened 11 years later:  ridden by jockey Smith, Holy Bull's son Giacomo came home a winner in the 131st Kentucky Derby, the very race his sire had been unable to win himself.

The grey colt, a 50 to 1 longshot, is owned by Jerry Moss, Rondor Music chair and founder of A & M Records.  Moss is a good friend of musician Sting; Giacomo is named after Sting's 9 year old son, and Giacomo's dam (mother) is called Set Them Free, which also happens to be the title of a Sting song. Moss also owns another horse called Styler, after Sting's wife.

The purse for the winner in this year's Derby was $1.6 million, and had a field of 20 horses, the largest since 1984.  As well, the first four to cross the finish line were all long shots, which resulted in some incredible payouts:  the exacta paid $9,814 (for a $2 bet), the trifecta paid $133,134, and the superfecta paid a whopping $1.73 million.
Not bad for a day at the races...
Lezah