MOTT REACHES 4,000 WIN MILESTONE

**Please see the attached photographs, one of trainer Bill Mott celebrating his 4,000th career victory in the winner's circle at Saratoga Race Course with his wife Tina and jockey Kent Desormeaux, and one of Desormeaux in the stretch aboard Mystic, Mott's 4,000th winner. Credit NYRA/Adam Coglianese.**

 

Saturday, August 7, 2010

 

Contact: NYRA Press Office

(518) 584-6200, ext. 4237

 

 

MOTT REACHES 4,000 WIN MILESTONE

 

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, who earlier this year won his first Triple Crown race with Belmont Stakes hero Drosselmeyer, reached another milestone today at Saratoga Race Course when he sent out his 4,000^th career winner.

 

Mott, 57, best known for campaigning two-time Horse of the Year Cigar, reached 3,999 with the 2-year-old filly Avanta in race 2 at Saratoga on Friday, August 6 and hit the 4,000 win mark with Mystic in the seventh race at Saratoga on Saturday, August 7. 

 

“Four thousand is a big number and I guess, to some extent, it’s an elite club and I’m happy to do it,” said Mott. “I thought we might have to wait until the end of the month the way you get hung up on these things. You get to the last one and sometimes you have to wait – I’ve seen it happen with numerous jockeys and ballplayers. It’s nice to have it today, it’s a nice, sunny day in Saratoga and I’m glad it happened here. This is a very special place to have it happen. I’ll always remember it.”

 

Mott’s first winner came at age 15, when he won a race at the bush tracks in South Dakota with a $320 mare he owned named My Assets. He went on to campaign dozens of graded stakes winners, including five champions: Theatrical, top male turf horse of 1987, Paradise Creek, top male turf horse of 1994; Escena, top older female of 1998, Ajina; top 3-year-old filly of 1997, and Cigar, who in addition to Horse of the Year honors in 1995 and 1996 was also twice voted the top older horse.

 

The Eclipse Award winner as the nation’s top trainer in 1995 and 1996, Mott was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in 1998 at the age of 45, the youngest trainer to achieve the honor. He was won 19 individual training titles at New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) tracks, including nine at Saratoga, most recently in 2007.

 

“There have been such a multitude of people that have really helped,” Mott added. “It’s not me that got four thousand winners, it’s the entire crew – past assistants and grooms and hotwalkers and riders and such a multitude of owners. I’ve had so much help along the way, so much backing and moral support, and there’s been a lot of hard work involved. I commend my assistants past and present for the good job that they’ve done.”

 

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