GIACOMO (Holy Bull), surprise hero of the 2005 Kentucky Derby (G1), saw his
first starter also become his first winner on Saturday when Blushing Sis
captured the 2ND race at Manor Downs under Tony McNeil. The Cash Asmussen
trainee faced five rivals in the 4 1/2-furlong trial for juveniles, and grabbed
the lead soon after the gates opened. The chestnut miss extended her margin
throughout to be eight lengths clear on the line while stopping the clock on the
fast main track in :52 4/5.
Bred and co-owned by Jerry and Ann Moss of Zenyatta (Street Cry [Ire]) fame,
Giacomo took two tries to break his maiden, easily getting the job done by 10
lengths at Santa Anita in the fall of 2004. He round out his two-year-old
campaign with a runner-up effort in the Hollywood Futurity (G1) and opened his
sophomore season with a third in the Sham S. The John Shirreffs-trained gray
would go on to start in the Kentucky Derby without a stakes win to his credit,
as he finished second in the San Felipe S. (G2) and fourth in the Santa Anita
Derby (G1) in his next two tries. Based on that, he was sent off at 50-1 in the
Run for the Roses and came with a furious rally down the center of the track to
overhaul Closing Argument and Afleet Alex, scoring by a half-length on the line.
Giacomo was no match for Afleet Alex in the last two legs of the Triple
Crown, running a well-beaten third in the Preakness S. (G1) and seventh in the
Belmont S. (G1). The gray colt’s three-year-old campaign ended in the Belmont
and he returned to competition in February of 2006 with a third in the Strub S.
(G2). Following a disappointing fifth in the Santa Anita H. (G1), Shirreffs
decided to give Giacomo some time off and sent his charge into the San Diego H.
(G2) off a near five-month freshening. He earned the only other win of his
career when taking that race by a head and rounded out his time on the track
with a fifth in the Pacific Classic (G1), a third in the Goodwood H. (G2) and a
fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1).
Giacomo took up his new duties in the breeding shed owning a 16-3-2-5 career
mark having earned $2,537,316. A half-brother to Grade 2-placed Sea Jewel (Sea
Hero), he is out of multiple stakes queen Set Them Free (Stop the Music), who
would go on to produce dual Grade 1 hero and millionaire Tiago (Pleasant Tap).
Giacomo’s black-type rich family also includes the likes of French co-champion
and One Thousand Guineas (Fr-G1) victress Baiser Vole (Foolish Pleasure) as well
as Group 2 winners Voleris (Kris) and Squill (Stop the Music).
Now an eight-year-old, Giacomo stands for a $7,500 live foal fee at Adena
Springs near Paris, Kentucky.