LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Racing, perhaps more than any other sport, is about family. Working with horses isn’t as much a job as it is a way of life. The 24/7, 365-day nature of the profession makes it this way. The theme of family, shared experiences or sense of loss, permeates throughout Saturday’s Kentucky Derby, the annual two-minute highlight for this industry that plays out for the 152nd time beneath the twin spires at Churchill Downs. Where once father Bill Mott and son Riley worked together, Saturday they will be adversaries. Bill Mott, 72, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame when Riley was 6 years old, will try to become just the seventh trainer to win at least three Kentucky Derbies – and the first in nearly 30 years to win it back-to-back – when he sends out Chief Wallabee. Riley Mott, 34, in his fourth full year of training, has two chances to win the Derby in his first try with Incredibolt and Albus. With Incredibolt and Chief Wallabee saddling side-by-side in the paddock, it is likely there will be a moment – regardless how brief – when the two men will stop to soak the experience all in. “Saddling a Derby horse next to my dad will be a sentimental moment,” Riley Mott said. “Might have to take a selfie with him in the paddock.” Riley Mott’s two horses are owned by Pin Oak Stud. That operation suffered a great loss when Jim Bernhard, just three years after he purchased Pin Oak, died unexpectedly last November at the age of 71. Jim’s wife, Dana, and son Ben now operate Pin Oak, which coincidentally also has horses with Bill Mott, including Parchment Party, who won Wednesday’s Isaac Murphy Marathon at Churchill. :: DRF Kentucky Derby Package: Save on Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more. “I miss Jim every moment of every day,” Dana Bernhard said in the winner’s circle. “He would be shouting from the rooftops. He would want us to be enjoying it.” The sense of loss will weigh heavy on the connections of So Happy, winner of the Santa Anita Derby. That colt is trained by Mark Glatt, whose wife, Dena, died in February at the age of 57. The two were married for 25 years and have three children. When Glatt first arrived in Louisville last week, he said of the Kentucky Derby experience, “It’s very special to be here. But with what we have been through as a family, it might not be as enjoyable.” So Happy will be ridden by Mike Smith, who, at 59, will attempt to become the oldest rider to win the Kentucky Derby. He first rode the race in 1984, at age 17, and won it for the first time in 2005 aboard Giacomo. So Happy will be his record-extending 29th Derby mount. Christopher Elliott, who turned 20 two weeks ago, is scheduled to have his first Derby mount aboard longshot Right to Party. Somewhere among the sea of 140,000 people will be his father, Stewart Elliott, who in 2004 won the Kentucky Derby aboard Smarty Jones, in what was his first Derby mount. Mike Repole, the billionaire owner of potential Kentucky Derby favorite Renegade, has very much involved his family in his racing operation. When she was alive, Repole’s grandmother was a constant presence at major races. Nonna, grandmother in Italian, was used in the name of many Repole horses. Nonna Bella, named after his grandmother, was the dam of Fierceness, the beaten favorite of the 2024 Kentucky Derby. Repole’s grandmother died on May 2, 2020, which was the day the Kentucky Derby was scheduled to be run. The race was delayed four months due to COVID. This is the first Derby since then to fall on that date. :: Get DRF Kentucky Oaks & Derby Clocker Reports by Mike Welsch and the DRF Clocker Team Like the Motts, the father-son bond is evident in the connections of other Derby runners. Brad Cox, who has two runners in the Derby – Further Ado and Commandment – is assisted by his son Blake. As the stable has increased, Blake has taken on an increased role, splitting most of his time between Florida in the winter and early spring and New York in late spring and summer. The father-son team of horsemen Gustavo Delgado and Gustavo Delgado Jr. – officially trainer and assistant – will be represented by The Puma, winner of the Tampa Bay Derby and nose loser of the Grade 1 Florida Derby. It was just three years ago that they celebrated a Derby victory with Mage. “We’re father son, but we are also best friends,” the younger Delgado said. “I don’t see myself training on my own without him. I think the partnership works very well the way it is structured right now. . . . As long as he’s around, as long as we want to do this, I think it will remain that way.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.