Already home to Jamaica's leading sire for two years, Ian Parsard's Paradise at Spring Village Farm is shoring up its roster with grade 3 winner Mo Mosa.
The 6-year-old son of leading sire Uncle Mo was recently purchased for $50,000 by bloodstock agent Chad Schumer at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Winter Mixed Sale out of the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment.
"He is a big, strong horse with a very deep family behind him," Schumer said of Mo Mosa. "When you look out and see the other sons of Uncle Mo at stud, almost all of them could be deemed successful. I don't know that I have seen a horse like Uncle Mo start this fast (with sire sons)."
Paradise at Spring Village now stands the Caribbean nation's top Thoroughbred stallion, Bern Identity, whose offspring have been dominant in the Jamaican classics. The sire's daughter, She's a Wonder, won the 2021 Jamaica One Thousand Guineas and Jamaica Oaks and was third against males in the Jamaica St. Leger on her way to being honored as the year's champion 3-year-old filly and champion female sprinter. Blue Vinyl nearly swept the Jamaican classics last year with wins in the Jamaica St. Leger and Jamaica Two Thousand Guineas, followed by a third in the Jamaica Derby. Bern Identity also was represented in last year's Two Thousand Guineas and Jamaica Derby by runner-up Brinks, who was named in 2021 as the champion 2-year-old colt. All of these races are not considered black-type stakes by international standards because Jamaica is classified as a Part III country, but they are all rated internally as group 1 races.
Bern Identity has to date sired 8% stakes winners from named foals of racing age. He has understandably become a force in the Jamaican breeding market, having covered a record 80 mares in 2022, according to Schumer.
"I buy stallions for regional markets, like Turkey or Saudi Arabia, or sub-regional markets, like Libya and Iran. In places like Libya or Iran, if a stallion gets 20-40 mares that is a very full book for them. When I was told Bern Identity covered 80, I was taken aback," he said. "So we have started looking for a while for a replacement to Bern Identity. Because they are now having to turn mares away for Bern Identity, I think some of those mares will shift to Mo Mosa."
Schumer said Paradise Farm takes a "Claiborne-like" approach to breeding, by self-limiting book sizes in order to avoid over-breeding a stallion.
Mo Mosa should be a good fit for Jamaica because of his success on the dirt in graded stakes at 3 and 4. At 3, he broke his maiden by 5 3/4 lengths at Turfway Park and went on to be second in the Oklahoma Derby (G3). At 4, he won the Steve Sexton Mile Stakes (G3) at Lone Star Park by 3 1/2 lengths over multiple grade 1-placed, grade 2 winner C Z Rocket. He retired with a 4-4-3 record from 22 starts and earned $482,235 for owner/breeders Perry and Denise Martin.
Mo Mosa's family also shows the same versatility as Bern Identity's. His dam Roughing is out of stakes winner Playcaller, who is the dam of Hollywood Starlet Stakes (G1) winner Diplomat Lady and Comely Stakes (G2) winner Dream Play. The family has also produced Sires Produce Stakes (G2) winner and Australia's Champagne Stakes (G1) runner-up Zulu Land (AUS) and United Nations (G1T) winner Hunter O'Riley, who won two graded stakes on the grass at 1 3/8 miles.
Uncle Mo, though a 2-year-old champion male and grade 1 winner on the dirt at 3, also has shown versatility as a sire with 65 black-type winners on dirt and 30 stakes winners on turf.
"I don't know if it's because the North American mare population is so heavily saturated with Northern Dancer and Mr. Prospector and because Uncle Mo is by a different line and was champion 2-year-old that is contributing to what he's accomplished, that's all to be debated. But you can't argue with his success," Schumer said.
