Mott Collects 650th Churchill Downs Victory as Anecdote Rolls

Nov 02, 2011 Gary Yunt

Hall of  Fame trainer Bill Mott, the all-time leading trainer at Churchill Downs, reached the 650-victory milestone Wednesday afternoon when James Karp’s favored Anecdote won the eighth race in wire-to-wire fashion under Jesus Castanon.

The 58-year-old native of Mobridge, S.D., saddled his first winner at Churchill Downs during the 1978 Fall Meet and has won nine training titles. Dale Romans is the closest to Mott in victories with 529.

Mott, who will send out five starters in this weekend’s Breeders’ Cup World Championships, also is Churchill Downs’ leader in stakes victories with 80, eight more than D. Wayne Lukas.

In Wednesday’s featured Movember Purse, Mott picked up victory No. 651 when Pam and Marty Wygod’s Clear Attempt ($7.40) rallied from off the pace under Jose Lezcano to edge favored Quantity in the 1 1/8-mile allowance test over the Matt Winn Turf Course.

Racing continues Thursday with a 12-race program beginning at 12:40 p.m. (ET). Highlighting the card is the eighth running of the $100,000-added Commonwealth Turf (Grade III), at 1 1/16 miles on the Matt Winn Turf Course that features the return to Churchill Downs of Pluck, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (GII). Post time for the Commonwealth Turf is 5:43 p.m.