William I. Mott

Top Associated Horses: Ron the Greek, Royal Delta, Close Hatches, To Honor and Serve, Flat Out,  Newsdad, Emollient, Cigar

    Born: July 29, 1953, Mobridge, S.D.

    Residence: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

    Family: wife Tina Marie, sons Brady Thomas and Riley Tucker, daughter Olivia.

    Mott has had 69 career Breeders’ Cup starters, the first coming with Taylor’s Special in the 1986 Sprint. Taylor’s Special returned to the Sprint in 1987, the same year Mott picked up his first Breeders’ Cup victory with Theatrical in the Turf.

    Mott’s eight Breeders’ Cup wins have come in three races: the Turf (Theatrical, 1987; Fraise, 1992); the Ladies’ Classic (Ajina, 1997; Escena, 1998; Unrivaled Belle, 2010; Royal Delta, 2011); and the Classic (Cigar, 1995; Drosselmeyer, 2011).   In Breeders’ Cup history, Mott is tied for third in wins and is second with $14,441,210 in purses.

    Mott has trained six year-end champions: Royal Delta, the top 3-year-old filly of 2011; Ajina, the top 3-year-old filly of 1987; Cigar, the top older male and Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996; Escena, the top older female of 1998; Theatrical, the top turf male of 1987; and Paradise Creek, the top turf male of 1994.

In 2012, Royal Delta joined Bayakoa (ARG) as the only horse in Breeders' Cup history to winning back-to-back editions of the Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic. In 2011, the Kentucky bred daughter of Empire Maker won four of seven starts and capped it with a dominant win in the Ladies' Classic at Churchill Downs and earned the Eclipse Award as Champion 3-year-old Filly.  She won the Eclipse for 2013 Champion Older Female.

But just days after her Breeders' Cup win, Royal Delta was sold for $8.5 million to Benjamin Leon's Besilu Stables at the 2011 Keeneland November breeding stock sale. It was the third highest price ever for the Keeneland November sale.

    Mott's phenomenal success at Churchill Downs – where he is the all-time wins leader – continued in 2012 when he captured the G1 Stephen Foster with Ron the Greek and the G2 Fleur de Lis with Royal Delta on the same June 16 card. “To me it’s great when you can win two races like that,” he said. “It’s something special to have a couple of nice horses and be able to compete in the best races. We have a handful of horses who can win those type of races and that’s what it’s all about.”

    Other graded stakes triumphs in 2012 include To Honor and Serve in the G1 Woodward, Ron the Greek in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap and Royal Delta in the G2 Delaware Handicap.

    Mott has enjoyed amazing success on his birthday, winning 14 races. His 2012 birthday present was Alaura Michele, who paid $15.60 for her win on the day the Hall of Fame trainer turned 59.  “It’s like lions eating wildebeests, I suppose,” Mott said of the feat. “It’s part of nature’s plan.”  Since 2006, $2 win bets on each of Mott’s July 29 starters generated a profit of $42.40.

    In 2011, became only the second trainer to win both the Breeders' Cup Classic and Breeders' Cup Ladies' Classic in the same year when he captured the Ladies' Classic with Royal Delta and the Classic with Drosselmeyer. “Nice weekend,” the ever-humble Mott said to Daily Racing Form after Drosselmeyer's victory. John Shirreffs was the first to win both races when Zenyatta won the Classic and Life Is Sweet took the Ladies' Classic in 2009.

    Other 2011 stakes wins included the G1 Alabama with Royal Delta, and the G1 Shoemaker Mile with Courageous Cat. Royal Delta also captured the G2 Black-Eyed Susan. Also, the G2 Churchill Distaff Turf Mile with Aviate (GB), the G3 Poker with Courageous Cat, the G2 Brooklyn Handicap with Birdrun, the G3 Chicago Handicap with Devil by Design, and the $1 million G2 Pennsylvania Derby with To Honor and Serve.

    In 2010, Mott picked up his first Triple Crown victory with Drosselmeyer’s upset of the Belmont Stakes at odds of 13-1. Mott has had only 14 Triple Crown starters: seven in the Kentucky Derby, two in the Preakness and five in the Belmont.

    The son of a veterinarian, Mott would tag along on his father’s rounds and, as a result, knew from an early age that his life would be spent around horses.  Owned and trained his first horse, a $320 mare named My Assets, who he ran at unrecognized meets in South Dakota, winning his first race at a recognized track with her at now-defunct Park Jefferson. Aided by purse earnings from My Assets, he spent $2,000 on a horse named Kosmic Tour, who won the South Dakota Futurity at Park Jefferson before Mott was out of high school.

    Worked for three years under Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, going out on his own in the fall of 1978.  In 1998, at the age of 45, Mott became the youngest trainer ever inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., an honor previously held by Allen Jerkens.    Became the ninth trainer in North American Thoroughbred history to reach 4,000 wins with Mystic at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 7, 2010.

    Was voted back-to-back Eclipse Awards as top trainer in 1995 and 1996, and was the recipient of the New York Turf Writers Association Outstanding Trainer Award in 1995, 1995 and 2000. Along with Cigar, late owner Allen Paulson and jockey Jerry Bailey, won the Turf Publicists of America Big Sport of Turfdom Award in 1996.

    Will always be best remembered for his training of Cigar, winner of a record-tying 16 consecutive races in 1995-96. The streak included victories in the 1995 Breeders’ Cup Classic and the inaugural Dubai World Cup, and ended with the Arlington-Citation Challenge. Said Mott of Cigar, “He’s the best horse I’ve ever trained. He may be the best horse anyone has ever trained.”

        Mott has won nine training titles at Saratoga, 10 titles at Belmont Park, nine at Gulfstream Park and five at Keeneland. .He is the all-time winningest trainer at Churchill Downs, and set the record for number of victories at a single Churchill Downs meeting, 54, during the 1984 spring meet.

    Currently has a stable of approximately 100 horses, based primarily in New York and Kentucky.