Brisset, assistant to Mott for 11 years, breaking out on his own

INDIANTOWN, Fla. – At the end of the Gulfstream Park winter meet, Rodolphe Brisset typically leaves south Florida for Kentucky to help trainer Bill Mott set up for the Keeneland spring meet. When Brisset left south Florida on Thursday to head to Kentucky, he did so with a different agenda.

Instead of setting up shop for Mott, Brisset is setting things up for himself; he has left Mott’s employ to go out on his own. Brisset, 33, said it is something he began planning last August, with the idea of making the move this spring.

“This is the right time and place,” Brisset said this week at the Payson Park training center. “I talked to Bill in August and gave myself plenty of time to get ready. You want to have everything set up right.”

Brisset said he will have approximately 30 stalls at Keeneland, 20 on Rice Road and 10 on the main track side. He said he will have horses for WinStar Farm, Midwest Thoroughbreds, Dare to Dream Stables, and John Gunther at the outset.

Brisset said he plans to be based at Keeneland for the rest of the year before hopefully coming back to Payson Park next winter. Ultimately, his goal is to be based in New York during the spring and summer.

Brisset said he has worked about 11 years for Mott. He has galloped many of the stables’ Grade 1 winners, including Royal Delta, To Honor and Serve, Drosselmeyer, Proviso, and Emollient.

“I guess I was pretty lucky,” Brisset said. “The most difficult thing is to leave here. You don’t have all that responsibility. Training is not that difficult, it’s all the other stuff that goes with it.”

“He’s probably going to do very well,” Mott said. “He knows how to train a horse. He’s an excellent rider, has got a good opinion, he’s got a great set of hands. He’s done a great job and has been a big asset to the entire outfit.”

Brisset said he will try to employ the lessons taught to him by Mott, who is the youngest trainer ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

“He’s been successful for 40 years,” Brisset said. “I don’t need to reinvent the wheel.”