LOUISVILLE - Derby 131 in a nutshell: Ay,
there's the Sting.
Nearly everyone overlooked 50-1 winner Giacomo on Saturday by
paying too much attention to their Daily Racing Forms.
If only we'd all read something into the stuff that really counts
-- like the lyrics to a song that Sting recorded and called Desert
(could that be, Derby?) Rose.
Giacomo, son of Holy Bull and the $102.60 winner that hardly anyone
picked, was named for Sting's young son by horse owner Jerry Moss,
former owner of A&M Records.
And hidden in the Desert Rose lyrics was a clue perhaps
portending of Giacomo's stunning Derby upset:
I dream of fire ... Those dreams are tied to a horse that will
never tire.
Story of the race, right? Giacomo worked his way up from 18th
position in the 20-horse field to beat Closing Argument and Afleet Alex
in the final yards, with jockey Mike Smith
up.