Bill Mott

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - A little after 7:00 Sunday morning, Bill Mott walked down the shedrow of his barn at the Oklahoma Training Track and peered into the stall of his comeback kid, Sovereignty (Into Mischief). "He's sleeping," Mott said with a laugh to a couple of writers. Sovereignty certainly deserved the shut eye after his rousing performance Saturday in the $1-million GI Whitney Stakes. The 4 3/4-length win, against an all-star field, put to rest the notion that the 2025 Horse of the Year was all done after starting...

After an ill-timed fever knocked him out of the GI Breeders' Cup Classic late last year, reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) reminded everyone just how much he loves Saratoga with a dominating come-from-behind victory in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Whitney Stakes, securing his position for another run at the Classic. Named last year's 3-year-old champion colt and Horse of the Year after wins in the GI Kentucky Derby, the GI Belmont Stakes, the GII Jim Dandy and the GI Travers Stakes, the Godolphin homebred failed...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It's not a done deal by any means, but trainer Chad Summers is taking a long, hard look at running GI Preakness Stakes winner Napoleon Solo (Liam's Map) in the GI DK Travers Stakes Aug. 29. "We are strongly considering the Travers," Summers said on the Saratoga backstretch Wednesday morning. "The Travers is a very historic race. [GI Kentucky Derby, GI Belmont Stakes winner] Golden Tempo (Curlin) is clearly the clear-cut favorite for championship honors for 3-year-old of the year, maybe the best 3-year-olds need to...

Trainer Bill Mott sent reigning Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief) and Grade I winner Baeza (McKinzie) to breeze separately over the Oklahoma dirt training track in Saratoga Sunday in preparation for Saturday's GI Whitney Stakes. Godolphin homebred Sovereignty, with assistant trainer Neil Poznansky up, started his work a bit ahead and to the inside of workmate Thunder Roll, maintaining a narrow advantage as he covered a half-mile in :50.10 (46/65), according to NYRA clockers. "He went nice," Mott said. "He was on the bridle. Neil thought he felt...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - It was around 5:20 a.m. one Sunday morning on the Saratoga backstretch and 17-year-old Will Walden was nursing a hangover after an ill-advised night on the town. The young man was doing his best to hotwalk his first horse of the day for Bill Mott. Walden took the job that summer with the Hall of Fame trainer after his father Elliott Walden told him it was time to start earning his keep. Riley Mott--Bill's son--was in worse shape than his friend and in no condition to...

4th-SAR $115k, Msw, 2yo, 6f, post time: 2:12 p.m. DREAM MORE (Gun Runner) makes his debut for Repole Stable and Grandview Equine. Trained by Todd Pletcher, the Stonestreet-bred colt is out of MGISW Cavorting (Bernardini), also the dam of MGISW Clairiere (Curlin). A $1.5 million Keeneland September buy, the chestnut will be ridden by Flavien Prat. Glen Hill Farm unveils Roll Wave (Into Mischief), a $900,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase. Out of GSW Eres Tu (Malibu Moon), the Tom Proctor-trained colt will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche. Godolphin also presents...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- The only way Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott could have gotten to his office at the Oklahoma Training Track Wednesday morning was by boat. The area outside his office was surrounded by water after four inches of rain fell in the area Tuesday night into Wednesday morning. The monsoon-like scenes all over Saratoga Race Course forced officials of the New York Racing Association to cancel the eight-race card scheduled for Wednesday. "I was trying to get into the Travers Canoe they gave me but it's...

Coming off a sensational performance in the GIII Monmouth Cup in which he earned a 122 Beyer figure, Knightsbridge (Nyquist), will head west to contest the Aug. 22 GI Pacific Classic at Del Mar for his next start. The 1 1/4-mile race will be another test for a horse who, before the nine-furlong Monmouth Cup, had never gone beyond a mile. "We'd love to try to win a Grade I with him," trainer Bill Mott said. "He's done a lot and proven that he's a talented horse. Naturally, with his...

Saratoga Maidens, presented by Keeneland The final strides called for heart and that's exactly what Grand Yaupon (Yaupon) showed as Belzoni (Gun Runner) came calling in the final sixteenth, but was turned away on the line. The Steve Asmussen-trainee was unveiled June 12 at Churchill Downs against a field that included Balloteer (Early Voting), who was named a 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' for that victory, and the highly-regarded Flightline firster Greenwell, who held off Midnight Still (Curlin) by a nose for third. The latter runner would be a...

Winchell Thoroughbreds' Magnitude (Not This Time), winner of this term's G1 Dubai World Cup and GI Stephen Foster S., worked five furlongs in a bullet 1:00.20 on Saturday over the Oklahoma dirt training track as he prepares for Saratoga's GI Whitney Aug. 8, a 'Win and You're In' for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, Magnitude completed his breeze with jockey Jose Ortiz up and to the outside of GSW Tiztastic (Tiz The Law). "I'm awfully happy with him," Asmussen said. "The...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY -- As he watched a set of horses exit his barn on the Saratoga backstretch, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse got to thinking. "How lucky was I to have Nitrogen be champion 3-year-old filly last year?" Casse said. "Would it be impossible to think we could have it two years in a row?" Not impossible. Nitrogen (Medaglia d'Oro) could very well be joined by Counting Stars (Honor A.P) as back-to-back 3-year-old Eclipse Award champs. For Counting Stars to get the prize, she still has some work...

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. - Jockey Junior Alvarado, the constant companion of 2025 Horse of the Year Sovereignty (Into Mischief), still has confidence in the horse that took him to great heights a season ago. That being said, it's time for Sovereignty to put it all together very soon. Like in the GI, $1-million Whitney Stakes at Saratoga Race Course on Aug. 8. Sovereignty has come out of the gate in 2026 a little slow with a second (in the GII Oaklawn Handicap on Apr. 18) and a third (GI Stephen...