The trainer of the last alternate in the 2023 Derby field, Moquett entered the mix when Japanese contender Continuar scratched Thursday night. He ranks fourth in North America with more than $3.9 million earned this year thanks to a 49% win-place-show rate.

The South Dakota native has entered a total of 11 horses in the Run for the Roses during his decadeslong career, with just two finishes on the board - Tacitus placed third in 2019 after Maximum Security was disqualified. May 4, 2019Ī Hall of Famer whose lone Derby victory (Country House) came via a historic disqualification in 2019, Mott held the title of winningest trainer at Churchill Downs for more than 31 years before being dethroned by Dale Romans in 2017. Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bill Mott answered questions from the media on the backside of Churchill Downs the morning after County House was declared winner of the race. The 3-year-old son of Shanghai Bobby has a 4-2-0 record across six starts. The third Japanese horse in the field, Fujita's Mandarin Hero finished second in the Santa Anita Derby to another Derby qualifier who has since been scratched, Tim Yakteen's Practical Move. Terunobu Fujitaįujita enters his first Derby after the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission on Thursday decided to scratch all of trainer Saffie Joseph Jr.'s horses, including Run for the Roses contender Lord Miles, until further notice after two of his trainees died while racing at Churchill Downs earlier this week. He is the brother of Hall of Fame jockey Kent Desormeaux, who won the Run for the Roses aboard Real Quiet (1998), Fusaichi Pegasus (2000) and Big Brown (2008). This year, his trainees have posted top-three finishes in 22 of their 54 starts, with nine trips to the winner's circle. Keith Desormeaux the trainer for Kentucky Derby runner-up Exaggerator, with his horse.ĭesormeaux has had three horses race in the Derby - most notably 2016 runner-up Exaggerator, who went on to win the Preakness weeks later.

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