Hall of Fame Trainer Bill Mott

I’m thrilled to spend a few minutes with the inspiring Bill Mott, Hall of Fame, award-winning Thoroughbred trainer. Bill has had a long and successful career training race horses since he was 15 years old in South Dakota. In 1978, he struck out on his own after riding and training for Jack Van Berg, and by the time Bill was 45 years old, he was the youngest trainer ever to be inducted into the Racing Hall of Fame. Bill has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer four times across three decades. And if those stats don’t impress you, on June 20, 2020, Moon Over Miami won at Churchill Downs, giving Bill his five thousandth win. To date, Bill Mott has had over 28,670 starts with 5,513 first places and almost 9,000 2nds and 3rds with gross earnings of roughly $361 million. 

Most recent was Bill’s training of 2023 Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, and to top it all off, he just won the Kentucky Derby and the Belmont in 2025 with power duo Sovereignty and jockey Junior Alvarado.  

Bill is an inspiration professionally and personally. He’s a reliable and dedicated boss, husband, father, and friend to many. He’s also generally a man of few words, so I am excited to have him here today to hear his story from horse’s mouth as they say. 

What we covered:

1. Bill's 55-year career training race horses
2. Which does he like best, horses or people?
3. Hobbies and favorite places
4. Cigar 
5. Cody’s Wish 
6. Who will play him in the Cody's Wish movie?
7. The 2025 Derby/Belmont Double
8. Sovereignty
9. Who inspired him and how? 

You can find Bill in Saratoga this summer doing what he loves best. 

You can find me online:

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