Mott Training Generation Y

Riley Tucker Mott (his middle name is important to know once you get down into the questions) is the son of Hall of Fame Trainer Bill Mott. He's currently spending his summers at the Spa and the school year at... well school. He answered a few of my questions, I hope you enjoy the interview. What are your summers like? Once the summer is over going to school is like sleeping in? In the Summer I wake up every morning at 5 am work, and then having to wake up at 7 am for school, it does feel like a nice sleep in to me. My friends think its a little crazy that I automatically wake up at about sunrise in the summer every morning, but I'm used to it. I guess you could call me a "morning person". Your Grandfather was a veterinarian and a young Bill Mott followed him around learning that trade. So, if Bill Mott turned out to be a trainer and now you are following your Dad around... Do you see yourself somewhere around horses making a living? What skills do think you are learning during the summer that the rest of the kids w/ their "regular" summer jobs aren't? I can most assuredly see myself somewhere in the horse industry when I become older. I have thought a lot about it and I realized that I have a great opportunity to do something in the business and shying away from it would be a mistake. Even if I were not to become a trainer, I would still love to do something that involves the sport of Thoroughbred racing. Just learning about the whole sport of horse racing in general is something most youths do not get a chance to learn about, which is why I feel quite lucky. I learn many things from my Dad just by following him around, not necessarily him teaching me things. Whether it is knowing how to communicate with jockeys and their agents, deciding on a long-term goal for a horse with an owner and what you need to do to reach that goal, or explaining vet work with the vets, my father teaches me without actually having to sit down and explain things to me. Kind of like taking mental notes to myself Who do you think has the best job in the business? I think trainers actually have the best job in the business. It is tough though; working hours wise, no vacations. But, if you are dedicated and truly love the sport, then training can be very exciting, whether it's winning big stakes races, meeting great people or seeing a nice two year old develop into a champion. In some ways the Internet hasn't made being a trainer easier as now I'm sure all the owners want up to the minute status and want to know whats going on. Have you tried to help your dad in any way? Internet is a big help in the business. You can view entries for days in advance at any race track, see stakes nominations, training workouts and also informative news articles. My dad never used to use Internet for his business, because he ran his business in an old school style, but he finally bought a lap top a few years ago. Now, he frequently uses his email and the Internet to get quickly updated information and to communicate with his owners. He needs help every now and then with the computer, but he gets by just fine. Text messaging is his forte though. So your Dad is a hall of fame trainer, you've just started yet there's a Riley Tucker the horse making some noise in Fla, but I don't think there was a horse named Bill Mott yet. How'd that happen? My dad called me at school and told me that Mr. Zayat considering naming a horse after me. It is not out of the ordinary for Mr. Zayat to name horses after others; many of his horses are named after his family and friends, so I was ecstatic with the idea. He was was nice enough to name a very promising two year old, Riley Tucker. To me, the happiest I have been after a race is when Riley Tucker won first time out at Belmont very impressively. Mr. Zayat was very generous to have thought of me like that. You and Justin Zayat are friends. If you and Justin lined up for a race who would win at a mile and a quarter? If Justin and I lined up for a race at the classic distance, I'm sure it would be a real close match, seeing as how we both play hockey and you must have some good stamina for that...I would be fine with a dead heat. (edit's note: Is that classic trainer talk or what?) Racing is a niche sport. When you're in a facebook group for the Kentucky derby people notice you, but anywhere else, at school, does anyone put it together? No, not at school or anywhere outside the racing world. The fan base for horse racing just simply isn't that large. Most people outside of the industry can only recognize the names from the connections who win the Derby, but hopefully we can get to that point one day. It's not hard to believe that Dubai really flipped a switch for you, the World Cup is one of my favorite weekends. Any plans to get back this year with any horses? Dubai is an amazing place. The fan base for racing over there is much stronger than in the States, so it is exciting to see such huge crowds gather. I recommend it for anyone who ever gets the chance to go. We have a few horses nominated for the races over there this year, but it will take some long thought from the trainer and owners to decide on whether to make the trip or not, it can be really hard on horses at times. You know when you open a DRF and it has those trainer stats, like winning % off of 60 day layoff, turf to dirt, dirt to synth, etc, what do you think your dad does the best (not knowing any %'s), what do you see that makes your dad successful? I think my Dad does real well of layoffs. He is probably the most patient person I know in general. He does not like to rush into things, which benefits the horse's health, and that leads to a longer racing career for the horses. Two year olds have been winning a lot more for us this year, first time starters too. Our stable was never known to be a "two year old" type of barn, if there is such a thing, but we have been starting to get the right type of horses that win early on in their careers, so hopefully that continues. What horse have you been around that a regular person could walk up to and know w/o seeing a race, wow this is what a horse is supposed to look like? A horse that has always looked beautiful is a horse by the name of Shakespeare. My dad trained him 2 through the age of 5 before he got hurt. A few summers ago he came to the barn in Saratoga and I would always know it was him on the track or walking around the barn area. He had a very unique look to him and he turned out to become a very very nice race horse. Any good stories and/or quirks about the horses that you saw this summer or Summers past? We had this horse named Grand Reserve a few years ago at Saratoga, very promising colt. Whenever he had his head sticking outside the stall, anyone could go up to him, put their hand under his mouth area and snap their figures, and he would stick his tongue all the way out and just keep it there. He would let you grab onto it, play around with it or whatever you wanted to do. It was pretty hilarious. His career was unfortunately cut short due to injury. OK so you dodge the foot race question, but you both play hockey; who's better? I haven't seen Justin play yet but word on the street says he's pretty darn good.