Stars galore at Bill Mott’s barn
Veteran trainer William I. “Bill” Mott is most notable for his work with, Cigar, who won 16 consecutive races and became the first American racehorse to do that against top-class competition.
Bill Mott’s barn has been producing top notch runners throughout and from 1992 to 2007, the Hall of Famer has bagged 9 training titles at Saratoga Race Course, and currently his barn shines with emerging stars, with the likes of Ron the Greek, To Honor
and Serve, and much accomplished stars like Royal Delta and Flat Out.
In the 2012 campaign, Bill Mott has already shown the horse he has in, Ron the Greek, by winning the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, by defeating last year’s runner up in the Big Cap, Setsuko.
The 5-year-old gelded son of Full Mandate, finished a close second to winner, Alternation in the Grade 2 Oaklawn Handicap in his most recent race.
With 2 second place finishes and a lone victory in three starts, Ron the Greek is peeking at the right time, actually he started coming out of his shell, and went on to bag Sunny and Mild Stakes and Queens County at the backend of his 2011 campaign.
Trainer Bill Mott said that the next start for Ron the Greek will be in the Grade 2 Stephen Foster Handicap on 16 June, 2012, at Churchill Downs.
Meanwhile, Bill Mott is ready to send, To Honor and Serve, for his seasonal debut in the Grade 3, $150,000 Westchester Stakes, which is a prep race for the all important Grade 1 Metropolitan Handicap.
“For any stallion, the Met Mile is a very important race,” said Mott. “I would love to win the race.”
Mott is blessed with the 2011’s 3-year-old champion filly, Royal Delta, who is coming off a recent start at the Meydan, and newly acquired Flat Out.
“She’s just started up galloping,” said the trainer. “She’s been tack-walking and jogging, and she got to feeling so good I had to start training her. I can’t hardly hold her on the ground.”
Bill Mott has said the new acquisition, Flat Out isn’t going to participate in a race for a long time, probably after a seven month layoff.
“The earliest he would be ready is the Suburban on July 2,” he said. “That would be the earliest possible, and that might not be giving him enough time. He had a little vacation.”
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