It would come as no surprise if horses trained by Bill Mott won four Eclipse Awards for their 2023 campaigns. Just F Y I seems like a lock to be champion 2-year-old filly, Elite Power has sewn up champion sprinter, and Cody’s Wish could be champion older male and Horse of the Year. Nonetheless, Mott has as much reason to look forward as back after unleashing a pair of high-level 2-year-old prospects at Churchill Downs. The same day, Nov. 4, that Elite Power won the Breeders’ Cup Sprint and Cody’s Wish the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile at Santa Anita, the Mott-trained first-time starter Knightsbridge debuted in a seven-furlong Churchill maiden race and won by more than 10 lengths. Overcoming some trouble before going into the turn, Knightsbridge came from a few lengths off the pace and turned on the afterburners in upper stretch. The 90 Beyer Speed Figure he earned might underrate the strength of his performance. “We’ve kind of liked him from the start, but for his first race, he probably exceeded expectations. He handled that group pretty easy, encountered some traffic and didn’t chicken out,” Mott said. Knightsbridge hasn’t posted a timed workout since his debut but is training daily in Kentucky, Mott said, and will soon ship to Payson Park in Florida with an eye toward a 2024 campaign. “We don’t plan on wheeling him right back somewhere,” said Mott. Knightsbridge, a Godolphin homebred, is by Nyquist out of the Bernardini mare Tyburn Brook, making him a half-brother to multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter-miler Speaker’s Corner. On pedigree and appearance, Knightsbridge would not be an obvious candidate for races over classic distances, though how far the colt wants to run remains a question to be answered. That’s not the case with Parchment Party, who has started his career with two wins, both in 1 1/16-mile dirt races. Parchment Party debuted Sept. 15 and came from last of 9 to win by 1 1/4 lengths with a 69 Beyer. Returning Nov. 9 to face first-level allowance foes, Parchment Party came from last of 10 to win by 1 1/2 lengths with an 81 Beyer. By Constitution out of the Tiznow mare Life Well Lived, Parchment Party was purchased as a yearling for $450,000 and campaigns for Pin Oak Stable. Mott said the colt, who looks like he’ll run all day, is spending a couple weeks at Pin Oak Farm before shipping to Florida. Mott’s been training racehorses since the late 1960s. There’s still a lot to look forward to. Nash headed to Fair Grounds No plans have yet been set for Nash, but his connections wouldn’t be out of line making grand long-term plans for the 2-year-old colt. After finishing a good second to the talented colt Booth making his career debut in a Keeneland sprint, Nash rolled to a 10 1/4-length maiden dirt route win Nov. 12 at Churchill, earning a 95 Beyer. A Godolphin homebred by Medaglia d’Oro out of the Malibu Moon mare Sara Louise, Nash is trained by Brad Cox, and might be as strong a Triple Crown prospect as the Cox-trained Timberlake, who won the Grade 1 Champagne and was fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile. “He’ll ship to Fair Grounds at some point, but I’m not sure when, and I’m not sure when he’ll run next,” said Cox. One realistic spot is the $100,000 Gun Runner on Dec. 23, which would get Nash another race without too long a break but allow Cox to freshen the colt early next year. Another talented Cox-trained 2-year-old, Keeneland maiden winner Air of Defiance, has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury. Churchill turf trouble Churchill’s troubled turf course remained unused the first two days of this racing week, Nov. 15 and Nov. 16, and as of Friday it had been eight days since the most recent grass race was contested. Races have been moved from turf to dirt the last five cards despite the fact no rain has fallen during the period, and a Churchill spokesperson said earlier this week that concerns existed regarding the course’s “status.” The track has continued carding turf races and plans to monitor the course daily to determine whether it’s suitable to be used. The Grade 3 Cardinal Stakes, a grass race, is scheduled for Nov. 23. Churchill’s last day of racing until next spring is Nov. 26. Given the state of the grass course and the possibility of late-week showers, handicappers have to assume that the featured eighth race Sunday, a first-level allowance for fillies and mares, stands a good chance of being moved from 5 1/2 furlongs on turf to 5 1/2 furlongs on dirt. Ten horses went into the main body of the field with four more entered main track only. Just a Care and Proud Mary, respectively second and fourth in a turf sprint at this class level Oct. 22 at Keeneland, are the likely favorite and second choice if the Sunday feature remains on turf. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.