Final Derby Comments
A friend who’s an occasional Railbird reader called yesterday to ask: “What do you think of Giacomo?”
Eh, and a shoulder shrug — that’s what I think. I liked Giacomo until the Santa Anita Derby, a race in which I thought he needed to show some improvement (read: win, or have a very good excuse for running second) if he was going to prove more than a sucker horse. I was disappointed at his Derby win, although that had more to do with the dismal performances of horses (Afleet Alex excepted) I’d backed than with Giacomo. I’m curious to see what he does in the Preakness.
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Why bother handicapping? That’s the question that comes to mind reading stories like this:
Another woman won “because she always bets the No. 10 horse — that was Giacomo on Saturday — and had Closing Argument because he was No. 18 and she was married on the 18th.” (Baltimore Sun)
Considering how well I did with the Derby, I might be better off picking horses with such logic. I am a little embarrassed that — despite knowing that history points to a winner with a race within four weeks of the Derby and three preps or more — I persisted in backing horses like Noble Causeway and High Limit. The only thing I was right about in this race was Bellamy Road. (And being right negatively isn’t as much fun as being right positively.)
