KENTUCKY DERBY
Draw a line through the race
Suicidal pace gave big boost to Giacomo, nullified contenders
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- There are times, such as this, when there is no alternative but to turn the page and move on.
Though it is not difficult in the aftermath of the 131st Kentucky Derby to form a clear picture of what led to the mass slaughter of the principal figures, it is not possible to impose logic on the outcome.
There was no evidence to form a positive opinion of Giacomo's chances and though he won't be 50-1 in the Preakness, he will not be the favorite when the second leg of the Triple Crown is run in Baltimore.
The "rabbit," Spanish Chestnut played a large role, though it did nothing to help Bandini, the intended beneficiary. Bandini, 19th of 20, finished behind the horse entered for no reason beyond assuring a fast pace. In that respect, Spanish Chestnut overachieved, running the second-fastest 6 furlongs in Derby history, 1:09.59, before fading to 16th. At the 6-furlong call, Giacomo was 18th and six-wide.
Spanish Chestnut's intended victims, however, had already fallen into the trap.
Bellamy Road chased the pace down the backstretch while five-wide. High Fly was even closer to the pace than the favorite. Both moved to challenge and were head to head for the lead leaving the quarter pole.
Both were already finished. Sustaining a quarter-mile rally after running close behind a kamikaze pace is impossible. The first five at the 6-furlong call finished seventh, ninth, 10th, 16th and 18th. The first five at the wire were 18th, sixth, ninth, 19th and seventh at 6 furlongs.
Mike Smith played a huge role in the outcome. His ride was brilliant and he expressed confidence in Giacomo's ability to pull off the upset. Nevertheless, Giacomo's odds in the Preakness may be the longest ever on a Derby winner.
"Let me put it to you this way," trainer D. Wayne Lukas told the Louisville Courier-Journal while joining the massive ripping of tickets after the Derby. "I train in California, where that horse trained, and I used eight horses in my Derby superfecta. I never thought about Giacomo."
Trainer Nick Zito, who established a new standard for bad Derby days with all five starters absent from the purse distribution, ruled out only Andromeda's Hero as a possible starter in the Preakness. Bellamy Road, if he survived without damage, is likely to be given the opportunity for redemption and may have company.
"At the top of the stretch, we were getting excited because those two horses [Bellamy Road and High Fly] were making a winning run," Zito said. "But when that big burst of horses came around the turn, I couldn't believe that none of them were our other horses. You know, Noble Causeway, Andromeda's Hero -- I couldn't believe that.
"Noble Causeway lost all chance. He checked and had a legitimate excuse. He was sharp and he was out of his game. Sun King is kind of like a mystery. He came back great. I don't know. You know he is better than that."
Todd Pletcher's immediate plans for his trio of Derby starters was not clear yesterday. Flower Alley, another casualty of the pace, finished ninth in the best effort among the Pletcher-trained horses.
Bandini's race was too dull to be true and Coin Silver ran evenly if ineffectively.
Until Giacomo substantiates the result, the Derby is a throw-out, an aberration not to be taken seriously.
Copyright © 2005, Newsday, Inc.
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Saturday's running of the Kentucky Derby left favorites in dry churned up dust, as speedster '''''Spanish Chestnut''''' forced an early pace that only long-shot horses fully answered. The two top finishers, '''''Giacomo''''' and '''''Closing Argument''''' ran past race favorites '''''Bellamy Road''''' and hopeful '''''Bandini''''', who came off the starting gate well and into the first turn. But they faded under a blistering early pace that at the half-mile pole was second fastest in race history.

Only '''''Afleet Alex''''', showing at third, applied salve to the wounded crowd of 154,000 ticket-tearing fans. Betting for this year's race totaled a record $103.3 million counting both on- and off-track wagering. A 2 dollar wager on the winning horse '''''Giacomo''''' paid $102.60.

TV viewership in top metropolitan markets was down only slightly from the previous year, which considering the wagering shows no lack of interest in the race:

:Win: Giacomo $102.60
:Place: Closing Argument: $45.80
:Show: Afleet Alex: $19.80