FRANKLIN, Ky.— Trainer Bill Mott has always been a presence during the short, late-summer meet at Kentucky Downs. It just wasn’t until last year that the 69-year-old Hall of Famer experienced racing at the all-grass track in Franklin, Ky., in person.
“We sat right in front of the little clubhouse deal they got and it was fun,” said Mott, sitting in a golf cart outside his office on the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course. “It was enjoyable going to the races. I liked it. You can eat and drink and watch the races and bet on the horses.”
His brief time at Kentucky Downs – he said he was there for a couple days during the 2021 meet – has convinced him to return. He plans on being back for part of this year’s meet; he just doesn’t know for how long.
Part of his trip to the Bluegrass state will be for the Keeneland September Sale, which starts on Sept. 12. Before that, he may find his way to Kentucky Downs.
Mott ranks third all-time in wins – behind Mike Maker and Wesley Ward – with 29. He has started 192 horses and also has accumulated 30 second-place finishes and 22 thirds. His horses have earned $3,469,870.
His best year for victories came in 2005 when he won five times. Last September, Mott started 12 horses and had two seconds and two thirds.
Mott has entered two horses for Thursday’s opening day 10-race card.
Juddmonte’s Floriform, a 4-year-old son of Into Mischief, is in the eighth running of the $400,000 FanDuel Tapit Stakes for 3-year-olds and up going a mile and 70 yards. Floriform, who will be ridden by Brian Hernandez Jr., last ran at Saratoga and finished second in an allowance race at Saratoga on Aug. 4. He was a part of a four-horse photo finish.
The FanDuel Tapit Stakes is the ninth race on the 10-race card.
Mott will also have Charles H. Deters’ Andy Cant, by Bernardini, in the 10th race, a $150,000 maiden event for 3-year-olds and up. The 3-year-old Andy Cant will be ridden by Florent Geroux, He has not been seen since finishing fifth in a maiden at Gulfstream Park on July 6.
As for the rest of the meet, Mott said he will run “maybe 10.”
“I don’t have a lot of 2-year-olds to run down there, and they run a lot of 2-year-old races,” he said. “The nominations are free and we tried to nominate something for every race. We will try to run some horses.”
Mott said he plans on running Chewing Gum, owned by Pantofel Stable, Wachtel Stable and Jerold L. Zaro, in the 24th edition of the Grade 2, $1 million FanDuel Turf Sprint at six furlongs on Sept. 10.
The race is a “Win and You’re In” for the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Keeneland on Nov. 5.
The 7-year-old Chewing Gum, a son of Candy Ride, finished fourth in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup Stakes at Woodbine on July 23 in his last start. Chewing Gum finished eighth in the FanDuel Turf Sprint last year, which was won by Gear Jockey.
In the 29th running of the Grade 3, $750,000 Kentucky Downs Ladies Turf at a mile, also on Sept. 10, Mott has nominated Wakanaka (IRE), owned by Team Valor International and Gary Barber, Juddmonte’s Petricor (GB) and Brownwood Farms’ Poca Mucha.
Mott said Petricor and Poca Mucha are possible; he may run Wakanaka in the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile on Sept. 17.
Mott’s barn will be represented at Kentucky Downs, just as it has for every year, except 2012, since 2000.
“The biggest thing is the timing of it,” he said. “This year there is no turf racing at Churchill. If you’ve got something to run and it’s in that ZIP code, that is the only place you are going to be able to run down there until Keeneland opens. We have done well. We won some races last year and we had some good seconds. Those add up. When you are running for $200,000, those seconds make a difference.”
By Tim Wilkin – Kentucky Downs Press Release
