Moss wins Kentucky Derby in first attempt

LOS ANGELES -- Jerry Moss is used to people questioning his judgment.

He pegged the Police song "Every Breath You Take" as a hit when others predicted failure -- and the tune ended up No. 1 on the charts.

He had a similar belief in Giacomo five months before the colt's stunning Kentucky Derby victory at 50-1 odds.

"Critics are entitled to opinions," he said. "I never let those opinions get in the way."

Neither did Giacomo, who darted through 17 horses to win the Derby by a half-length. The colt will try to win the second leg of racing's Triple Crown on Saturday when he runs in the Preakness.

"We think he ran a tremendous race in the Derby and had to surmount tremendous obstacles to win the race," Moss said. "We think maybe the best is yet to come. That he's still growing, still learning and still relaxing. He can certainly do better."

Giacomo earned Moss' faith in December, when the colt finished second to Declan's Moon in the Hollywood Futurity. Giacomo had only won one race before that. The Kentucky Derby was victory No. 2.

Moss won the Derby on his first try, a day before his 70th birthday.

He and wife Ann hadn't been to Churchill Downs since 1994, when their filly Sardula won the Derby-eve Kentucky Oaks. That same year, Moss' friend Burt Bacharach was in Louisville, too, because he had a Derby starter with Soul of the Matter.

"I find great, great joy that this guy pulled that feat off," said Bacharach, who wrote such pop classics as "Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again."

Bacharach had what he called "a little bet" on Giacomo.

"I didn't believe that horse was going to win, but you got to bet on your friends," he said.

Moss grew up in the Bronx, rooting for the New York Yankees.

"I was automatically a Yankee fan and I still am," he said, recalling how his membership in the Police Athletic League got him into Yankee Stadium for 25 cents in the 1940s.

In 1957, he met Bacharach when they worked in the famed Brill Building hit factory that was home to such writers as Carole King and Neil Sedaka. Bacharach was a staff writer; Moss worked in a music publisher's stockroom. Each of them earned $50 a week.

"Jerry was a classy guy even when he didn't have money," said Bacharach, who years later owned horses with Moss. "He's an eloquent, funny guy."

By 1962, Moss had moved to the West Coast and met trumpeter Herb Alpert of Tijuana Brass fame.

They started A&M Records out of Alpert's garage, nurturing it into music's largest independently owned label with a roster that included The Carpenters, Cat Stevens, Joe Cocker, Sting, Sheryl Crow and Janet Jackson.

But that success never prepared Moss for Giacomo's stunning victory.

"I've had some tremendous hits and they brought me to incredible heights, but nothing quite like this," he said. "This thing has changed my life. I wake up and look at my wife and I just say, 'We won the Derby,' almost every day."

Moss and his wife make a big deal out of naming their horses. He's in charge of the colts and Ann handles the fillies. The couple is known to give $50 to anyone who comes up with a good name.

"It's about the only thing now that keeps me up at night," he said. "Naming a horse is the hardest thing in the world. It's like creating a brand."

For colts, Moss seeks names that signify strength and durability and that link the sire with the mare. Kudos, Roman, Palmero and Lexicon are some examples.

"One-word names are really good for people in the public to enjoy and remember," he said.

For fillies, Ann favors names of a spiritual nature. Or they name a horse for a friend, like filly Tarlo and Giacomo, the name of rock star Sting's 9-year-old son.

Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, called the couple the day after the Derby.

"They were just absolutely thrilled," Moss said. "I think Trudie even got a bet down, so that made it greater."

So did Moss, who favors making exotic wagers over a basic $2 bet.

"I'm not a big bettor," he said. "We're putting up $50,000 to be in the race. That's a pretty sizable bet, so I don't bet a lot of money."

Moss got into the racing business in 1970, when he and brothers Herb and David Alpert claimed Angel Tune for $12,500. She finished third her first time out and then won.

"We thought that was all we needed to know in horse racing. We had the game," Moss said. "I got hooked. We claimed some more horses. And then a friend of mine said, 'Man, you shouldn't be claiming horses. Why don't you buy a horse?"'

He did, for $60,000. The horse didn't do well, souring Moss' partner on the business. So Moss exited racing.

"Then I realized I missed it," he said.

In 1978, Moss was introduced to trainer Bobby Frankel through Bacharach. Moss and Bacharach bought six horses for $300,000. One of them, Fighting Fit, proved a consistent runner and earned $1 million.

"It was a lot of fun," Moss said. "We started building on from there."

In 1993, Moss and Alpert left A&M. Moss found out he had cancer, and eventually recovered. He started another music business, which kept him from spending much time at the track.

Five years ago, he sold a music publishing company and got out of the business. Now, he and Ann spend mornings at the barn.

"We can do whatever we like," he said. "I'm not responsible to anybody but myself and my ambition in the racing game, and we love it. We just absolutely love it."