Episode #505. Bill Mott 🏇🌹KY. Derby-Winning American Thoroughbred Horse Trainer | KENTUCKY DERBY 152🏇🌹

Bill Mott is 1 of the greatest American Thoroughbred horse trainers of the modern era — a Hall of Famer, multiple Eclipse Award winner, and the trainer of some truly elite racehorses.

He was born July 29, 1953, in Mobridge, South Dakota, and got started absurdly young: one of his early wins came at age 16 with a horse named Kosmic Tour.

He later worked under Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg, then opened his own public stable in 1978.

Why he’s a big deal:

1. Hall of Fame trainer:
Mott was inducted into the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame in 1998, becoming 1 of the youngest trainers ever voted in.

2. Trainer of Cigar
His most famous horse historically is probably Cigar, one of the all-time greats, who won 16 consecutive races in the 1990s & became a racing icon.

3. Kentucky Derby winner — twice
Mott trained Country House, the official winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby, after Maximum Security was disqualified. He then won the Derby again in 2025 with Sovereignty, this time in clean, emphatic fashion.

4. Triple Crown race wins
His Triple Crown wins include the Kentucky Derby with Country House and Sovereignty, plus the Belmont Stakes with Drosselmeyer and Sovereignty.

5. Breeders’ Cup success
He has trained numerous Breeders’ Cup winners and is especially respected for developing older horses and keeping elite horses sound over time.

In plain English:

Bill Mott is the quiet master craftsman of American racing — not a carnival-barker personality, not a hype machine, just a deeply respected horseman whose horses often get better with patience, distance, and maturity.

Very “old-school excellence,” which makes sense, given that Riley Mott carries a serious racing pedigree!