2011 Eclipse Awards: Bill Mott

Bill Mott, 58, won the Eclipse Award in 1995 and 1996. He had one of his better years in 2011 with purse earnings of $10,731,249, his highest total since 1996 and the third-highest of his career. That placed him fourth among trainers in North America.

The key to Mott’s good performance this year is that he came on very strong late in the year with six of his 15 graded stakes wins earned in November. He won the Breeders’ Cup Ladies Classic with Royal Delta, then followed with an upset win by Drosselmeyer in the Breeders’ Cup Classic. He also won the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm and the Grade 3 Falls City with Arena Elvira, the Grade 3 Cardinal with Deluxe, and the Grade 1 Cigar Mile with To Honor and Serve. Mott’s other Grade 1 winner this year was Courageous Cat in the Shoemaker Mile in July.

Mott won 24 stakes races, and his $7,760,233 in stakes earnings was his best total since 1995, the second-highest total of his career, and fourth best among all trainers in 2011. Mott’s 15 graded stakes wins put him in fifth place in 2011. They were divided equally among Grades 1, 2, and 3. His $7,090,109 in graded stakes earnings was his career-best total and the third highest this year. Mott’s other graded stakes winners were Birdrun, winner of the Grade 2 Brooklyn; Aviate, winner of the Grade 2 Distaff Turf Mile; Devil by Design, winner of the Grade 3 Chicago; and Changing Skies, winner of the Grade 3 La Prevoyante.