Riley Mott goes for 1st stakes win Sunday at Oaklawn

A day after Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott tried to win his first Arkansas Derby, his son, trainer Riley Mott, will try to win his first stakes race.

Mott, 31, who went out on his own Nov. 1, will saddle Mystic Night for Oaklawn owner Louis Cella in Sunday’s $150,000 Temperence Hill Stakes for older horses at 1 1/2 miles. Mystic Night, 12-1 on the morning line, will mark Mott’s third career stakes starter. The a 6-year-old gelded son of Into Mischief exits a fourth-place finish in a March 18 allowance race at Oaklawn going 1 1/16 miles.

“Every time we’ve run him, the jock has come back and said, ‘Man, this horse needs more ground,’ ” Mott said. “I think we’ve run him three times here already. I’m not necessarily one that wants to wheel them back super quick, but he’s a big, strapping horse that kind of takes to training really well and came out of the last one in good shape.”

Mystic Night is one of two horses Mott purchased for Cella at Keeneland’s November horses of racing age sale. Mystic Night, a $120,000 buy, finished seventh and fourth in his first two starts at the meeting for Mott, who recorded his first career victory Nov. 10 at Churchill Downs with Unifying. After a slow start, Mott, through Friday, had five victories at the 2022-23 Oaklawn meeting and finished second with Unifying in the $150,000 Year’s End Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at one mile Dec. 31. Mott has managed roughly 20 horses this season at Oaklawn.

“I think a lot of it was I just kind of scrapped together whatever horses people were willing to send me, whether they, at the end of the day, fit at Oaklawn or not,” Mott said. “That’s up for someone’s determination. But we came here with some nice horses that did fit and we’ve won some nice races. We’ve won five, but four of them $100,000 purses. So, I think in the first three or four months of my career I’m pleased with that, without getting too greedy.”

Traverse, a homebred for famed Claiborne Farm, has emerged as the star of Mott’s stable, finishing fourth in the $150,000 Pippin Stakes for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles Jan. 7 before scoring sharp allowance victories Feb. 12 and March 17. Mott said Traverse is pointing for the $300,000 Doubledogdare Stakes (G3) for older fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles April 21 at Keeneland.

“She’s obviously had a good season here at Oaklawn,” Mott said. “Obviously, a lot of horses don’t really hit their stride until after their 3-year-old year, so it’s nice for her to do well here at Oaklawn. Been cool for me because, just obviously starting out, to have a nice horse for Claiborne competing in those nice races.”

Mott said Claiborne is scheduled to send him some 2-year-olds this spring in Kentucky, where the trainer will be based. Oaklawn closes May 6.

“I’m going to definitely leave some horses here for the end of the meet,” Mott said. “We’re going to be doubling in size with the 2-year-olds coming in. We should have a pretty busy spring.”

Bill Mott, Oaklawn’s leading trainer in 1986, saddled Grade 3 winner Rocket Can for a fourth-place finish in the Arkansas Derby (G1) on Saturday at Oaklawn.