Mott’s Success with Euro Imports

When Carrothers enters the starting gate for his upcoming North American debut, the colt will add his name to a long list of former European runners — many of whom went on to great success — to join the barn of Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

Topping the list is Theatrical, who gave Mott his first of what is now 10 winners at the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The Irish-bred son of Nureyev joined the Mott barn in 1987, after starting his career two years earlier in Europe where he won his debut in a Group 2 in Ireland as a 3-year-old.

But it was under Mott’s care that Theatrical really flourished, and reeled off five Grade 1 stakes victories for his new trainer before running in the 1987 Breeders’ Cup Turf at Hollywood Park. That day, in what would be his final career start, Theatrical defeated Trempolino, who entered the Turf following a magnificent victory in one of the world’s premier events, the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe in France. The video of the 1987 BC Turf is shown above.

When reflecting last year on what Theatrical meant to him, Mott told Jay Hovdey in the BloodHorse:”Theatrical was awful big for me. He was my first Breeders’ Cup winner, my first champion, and we beat the Arc winner in the bargain. I mean, he sticks out even when you ask about the best horses I’ve ever trained. He’s right there at the top of the list.”

Mott’s accomplishments with former Euros doesn’t end with Theatrical. Throughout his career, which began in 1978 and has yielded him more than 5,100 winners, Mott has managed the U.S. careers of many imports who blossomed into stakes winners under his brilliant and patient horsemanship.

Royal Anthem, a son of Theatrical who was a Group 1 winner in Europe, came to Mott for his final two career starts, which resulted in a runner-up finish in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup Turf and a victory in the Grade 1 Gulfstream Park Breeder’s Cup Handicap in 2000.

Among the more recent stakes winners trained by Mott, who previously launched their careers in Europe, are Capla Temptress, Lady Lara, Suffused, and Tuttipaesi.

Carrothers already has flashed his talent by winning two starts in England, and we’re excited to see what is in store for our colt in the capable hands of Mott, who will enter him on Sunday for a Nov. 19th race at Aqueduct.