He had an ideal pace set up. Preachinathebar did all the work and really deserved to win. The good news? Giacomo will be vastly overbet next time out.

Perhaps ... maybe ...

... nonetheless ...

congrats to giacomo, so happy for him, he at least validated his derby win, and such a beautiful looking horse. i think alot of people had reason to question but this should end that.a grade 2 beautiful win

yeah and that borrego ,ann ,is going to be perfect drift!!!!!!!!!if there is a honest pace in this race against lava man, he gets beat

I dont understand why a person can't state a differing opinion on a horse's performance and not get attacked for it.This is a Forum of Opinions...is it not?? Having read his analysis of the race, I don't think he was being unfairly negative. Let's face it, Giacamo didn't go off at box-car odds in the Derby because his pp's were so outstanding.He ran the race of his life and hasn't been a world-beater since.He is not the kind of horse that inspires superlatives. It was a nice race; he won,,,good. But the original poster was more interested in using his victory as some kind of catharsis and reason to berate anyone who didn't think Giacamo was the Second Coming. You start a post that way, about a horse that has had more failures than victories and you set yourself up for others to offer you a reality check.

Here's the way it works, George ...

... any horse they like who wins a race ... no matter when and where the race is run ... must be called "impressive" ... and anyone who says the horse may not have been "impressive" ... is a loser ... a fool ... an idiot ... unless ...

... unless it's a horse they don't like ... then you can't say the horse was "impressive" ... because then you're ... guess what? ... right, you guessed it ... a loser ... a fool ... and an idiot.

You can't win, my friend ... somtimes you just can't win.

People all have different personalities. That is life.

I would have been glad to see Preachinatthebar win. I had a bet on him. Does that make me NOT a fan of racing since I was rooting my heart out for Giacamo to get beat ?

People beat up Giacomo about his Derby win for 1 reason, THEY DIDN'T WIN with him on Derby Day. I am not redboarding because I posted on the ESPN website before the Derby that I liked Giacomo in the race and I also spoke with a couple posters in private conversation that I loved him. I studied the PP's for the race and concluded that with all the early speed (Bellamy Road, Spanish Chestnut, etc...)in the race, that the leaders would fall apart coming down the stretch and a deep closer would win the race. The last time I checked, that was called HANDICAPPING. It just seems to me that those that handicapped the Derby incorrectly feel justified in calling him a "fluke" or other names of sort.

100% incorrect, I didn't have Monarchos or War Emblem, but those were two good horses and you'll never hear me rip them, I can live with them winning, without cashing, because they won other G1's, Giacomo has not. I can't comment on the race on Saturday, because I did not see it, but the Derby was a complete fluke and beyond that he's only won a maiden, that's a terrible representative for a Derby winner. I hope he goes on and wins something else, because at least people would not have a reason to rip on him. I feel that the Derby was a joke last year, because a lucky horse won, sure there's been other horses that have received lucky trips and won, but at least they were something other than a maiden winner. That's why I hope he keeps winning, so he can at least justify that Derby...

Mwind...I respect your point of view, but is that the reason you consider his win last year a fluke, because he had only won a maiden race?

Yes, in my mind you have to do better than win a maiden to be considered a legitimate Derby Winner. I hope he goes on and wins more races, I didn't see the race Saturday, but it sounds like mixed reviews, but he did win a G2 off of a layoff, that's not bad at all. Maybe, he'll get better with age and be a good horse, I wouldn't have a problem with that...