LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Bill Mott is a busy man and he’s always on the go.
When there’s work to be done, it’s tough to even stop for a quick word.
“Well, I know I can always run away whenever I want, and you can’t catch me,” Mott said with laughter.
This year, Mott will saddle his 13th starter in the Kentucky Derby, Resilience.
“Everybody was high on this horse from the time he left the farm to the time he came to us,” Mott said. “He was actually a little bit slow developing.”
Those hopes were backed up with a dominant win in the Wood Memorial.
“I wouldn’t trade any horse for that one, to be honest,” jockey Junior Alvarado said. "I get to ride that one – I wouldn’t trade that horse. He’s like a five-year-old man in a three-year-old body.”
Alvarado has the mount on Resilience and he’s looking for his first win in the Run for the Roses.
“Everybody’s dream [is] to win the Derby. It’s been my dream since I moved here to the USA,” he explained. “It will be very meaningful and especially winning with Mr. Mott. [It] will definitely mean the world to me because he’s been a very [big] part of my success.”
What about the possibility of winning the 150th Kentucky Derby?
“That number wouldn’t be important to me. Just getting there first is the main thing,” Mott said.
No one knows that better than Mott, who has a Derby victory with Country House in 2019. That was because Maximum Security, the horse who crossed the finish line first, was disqualified for interference.
This time, Mott would actually like to feel the thrill of victory.
“You know, you’d like to have it that way,” Mott said.
Perhaps, all he needs is “Resilience.”
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