The Delgados and Motts make the Kentucky Derby a fathers and sons event
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — Gustavo Delgado Sr. and his son work so well together as a training duo that Gustavo Jr.
does not see himself taking over the business once his dad is done. Riley Mott felt the opposite while assisting his Hall of Fame father, Bill, for nearly a decade before starting his own stable. Traveling different paths, they all got to the Kentucky Derby this year, where Father's Day is coming early at Churchill Downs.
The Delgados have The Puma, the elder Mott is looking to go back to back with Chief Wallabee, and his 34-year-old son has his first two Derby horses in Albus and Incredibolt. “You always want your children — you hope they’re better than you,” Bill Mott told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “And I think that’s probably the case.
We’re very proud of him. ” Bill Mott has two Kentucky Derby titles already, though Country House getting elevated to first in 2019 when Maximum Security was disqualified made Sovereignty's triumph feel more like his first. A competitor in his own right, he acknowledges it would be quite special to see Riley do it.
That's the goal, now. “It was extremely special for Sovereignty because I’m still part of the family, part of the team,” Riley said. “But to do it on my own, this is my baby — our stable, our business.