Jerry and Ann Moss

Jerry and Ann Moss have celebrated many huge moments during their 20-plus years together, but May 7, 2005, went down as one of the biggest. On that day, the Mosses watched their homebred son of Holy Bull win the Kentucky Derby (gr. I) at odds of 50-1.

Giacomo, with jockey Mike Smith aboard, entered the Run for the Roses with only a maiden win to his credit but that didn't diminish the belief Team Giacomo--the Mosses, trainer John Shirreffs and his racing manager wife, Dottie Ingordo Shirreffs--had in the gallant gray or roan runner.

Giacomo, racing about eight wide down the lane, won the Derby by a half-length over Closing Argument. On the heels of Giacomo's upset Derby win, the Mosses were named the West Coast Region Owner of the Year by the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association.

The Mosses' success in the Thoroughbred industry did not come overnight. They have campaigned a slew of graded stakes victors, including A La Reine, Belleski, Brulay, Kudos, Lake William, Lexicon, Lindsay Jean, Palmeiro, Princess Kali, Private Chef, Spellbinder, Stanley Park, Van Rouge, Compelling Sound, Qathif, Silver Ray, Zoonaqua, Lindzell, Ruhlmann, Tarlow, Sardula, and Rhapsodic. Kudos, Lexicon, Princess Kali, Lindzell, and Van Rouge were homebreds. Moss also bred Nobo True, a group I winner in Japan.

In 2005, in addition to Giacomo, the Mosses celebrated stakes wins with Stanley Park, winner of the San Luis Rey Handicap (gr. II), Tarlow, winner of the Santa Margarita Invitational Handicap (gr. I) and La Canada Sakes (gr. II), and homebred Talverna, winner of the Piedmont Stakes.

After his Derby win, Giacomo went on to finish third in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I) and was seventh in the Belmont Stakes (gr. I). He exited the Belmont with bone chips in an ankle and knee that required surgery.

Giacomo spent eight months on the sidelines before returning in early 2006 to finish third in the Strub Stakes (gr. II) at Santa Anita. He then finished fifth in the Santa Anita Handicap (gr. I).

In 2006, the Mosses watched Spellbinder win the San Antonio Handicap (gr. II) at Santa Anita, and in partnership with Frank Stronach's Stronach Stables, Giacomo won the San Diego Handicap (gr. II) at Del Mar. Stronach purchased a majority interest in the breeding rights of Giacomo in June 2005 and plans to stand him at his Adena Springs Farm near Versailles, Ky., at the conclusion of his racing career. Giacomo became the third Kentucky Derby winner to win a race at Del Mar, following Gato Del Sol and Ferdinand.

The Mosses own some 100 head of Thoroughbreds, including about 20 broodmares that are kept in Kentucky at Mill Ridge, Brookdale and Crestwood Farms.

Their broodmare band includes Set Them Free, the dam of Giacomo. The Stop the Music mare has a 2-year-old Pleasant Tap colt, Tiago, and a yearling full brother to that colt. The mare produced a Giant's Causeway colt this year.

Away from the racetrack, Moss is best known as the "M" in A&M Records, which he founded with longtime friend and trumpeter Herb Alpert in 1962. A&M was sold to PolyGram Records in 1989 and was consumed by Universal Music in 1998. Moss sold the publishing end of the business in 2000. During his years in the music business, Moss signed, produced, and helped make stars out of such notable acts as The Carpenters, The Police, Sting, Supertramp, Sound Garden, Cat Stevens, Carole King, Chet Baker, Joan Baez, Janet Jackson, and Bryan Adams. Giacomo is the namesake of musician Sting's 10-year-old son, Giacomo.

For their many years in the music industry, Moss and Alpert were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006 as non-performers.

By Leslie Deckard