Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott has won his 17th Breeders Cup with Sovereignty’s Halloween win at Keenland Race Course in Lexington Kentucky. A native of Mobridge, South Dakota, Mott began training and owning horses with family members as a teenager. In the early ’70s, Mott worked for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Van Berg. After opening his own public stable, Mott has won the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer five times (1995, 1996, 2011, 2023, 2025). Mott trained Hall of Fame member Cigar (1994 to 1996) through a streak of 16 consecutive victories, including the inaugural Dubai World Cup in 1996. Cigar won a total of 15 stakes and was voted Horse of the Year in 1995 and 1996. Mott also trained Hall of Famer Royal Delta, winner of three Eclipse Awards. Other champions trained by Mott include Ajina, Channel Maker, Horse of the Year Cody’s Wish, Elite Power, Escena, Paradise Creek, Horse of the Year Sovereignty, and Theatrical. In 2010, Mott won his first Triple Crown race when Drosselmeyer took the Belmont Stakes. He has since gone on to win the Kentucky Derby with Country House (2019) and Sovereignty (2025), who also gave Mott his second Belmont victory and first Travers. Mott has won five editions of the Distaff, and the Classic twice and has won more than 5,600 career races with purse earnings of more than $385 million. Watch the race HERE
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