2023 Eclipse Awards: Bill Mott

Bill Mott, a Hall of Famer now for decades, turned 70 last July. It is never too late to explore new places, and during 2023, Mott went somewhere he’d never been, his $17.43 million in stable earnings the highest mark of a long career.

Mott’s stable during 2022 racked up 26 graded stakes wins, the highest yearly figure of his career and a far cry from 2017 and 2018 when he won, respectively, nine and eight graded stakes. Things did not slow down in 2023, with 24 graded stakes wins, including 10 individual Grade 1 winners.

Three of those horses – Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, and Just F Y I – are Eclipse Award finalists, and Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, and Just F Y I are all but certain to be champions. Cody’s Wish is a leading contender for Horse of the Year, and Mott also guided Casa Creed to another incredible season and won a Grade 1 with the late Art Collector.

:: Full list of 2023 Eclipse Awards finalists, including profile stories

Mott, do not forget, is hitting these marks with a smaller stable than the other four trainers who ranked among the top five in 2023 stable earnings. Brad Cox had 962 starters, Steve Asmussen 2,152, Todd Pletcher 979, and Chad Brown 909, while Mott sent out only 649 starters.

Success with a range of runners? Check. Just F Y I is a 2-year-old filly, Casa Creed a 7-year-old horse. Elite Power is the best dirt sprinter in the world, War Like Goddess a 1 1/2-mile turf horse.

Mott started 2024 with a winner. His son Riley is competing against him in Florida. Bill Mott, a septuagenarian and three-time Eclipse winner – 1995, 1996, and 2011 – remains at the top of the sport and is again a finalist for outstanding trainer.

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