A few hours after winning this year's GI Saratoga Derby Invitational Stakes with World Beater (Oscar Performance), Riley Mott was home with his family eating takeout pizza. He shared a beer with his father, Bill, and was in bed by 9 p.m.The celebration was quiet, almost ordinary, but the milestone was anything but. Less than three years after going out on his own, Mott, age 33, had claimed his first Grade I win at the track that he had once called his playground and the town where he had first dreamed of following in his father's footsteps.Not long after, Mott returned to the headlines when Argos (Nyquist) claimed the GI Summer Stakes, stamping his ticket to the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.Mott didn't necessarily set out with such lofty goals for his fledgling stable. His approach was simple: build the right team, attract the right owners, and trust that quality horses would eventually come into the barn. So far, the results are arriving sooner than anticipated. “To be able to win at the highest level so early in our team's career really means a lot,” Mott said. “I'm proud of the team because most of the guys and girls in the barn have been with us from day one. It also says a lot about the ownership that we are lucky enough to work with, that we can compete at the highest level when given the right horses and the right opportunities. I'm just over the moon and hopefully everything from here out this year is a cherry on top.”The son of a Hall of Fame trainer, it's no surprise that Mott's childhood memories are of spending time at the barn. Once he was old enough to start attempting to build sand castles in the shed row while horses were cooling out, he was put to work raking the barn aisle and filling water buckets. By the time he started learning how to walk the pony, he was already dreaming of becoming a trainer one day.“I got addicted to handling the horses and being hands on with them,” he said. “I groomed, I ran the shedrow and I eventually became an assistant. I was lucky enough to grow up around a lot of great horsemen and people within the operation.”After graduating from the University of Kentucky, Mott was an assistant for his father for almost nine years–a period that he describes as the graduate school of his education in the sport.In November 2022, he launched his own stable.“I had the itch for a couple years before I went out,” Mott recalled. “I was 29 and thought I could either stay under my dad for another 10 years and be happy and do well in his operation or I could put what I'd learned to the test and see what I can do on my own. I thought it was the right decision at the right time for my family and I got full blessing from my dad.”From day one, Mott placed an emphasis on curating the right team for his operation.“You can't necessarily control what horses come through the barn or the quality that you're working with every day, but one thing that you can control is the staff that you put in place,” he explained. “Then when that high quality horse or horses do come through, you're ready for it.”In the winner's circle after World Beater's Saratoga Derby score | Sarah AndrewOne of the earliest supporters of Mott's operation was Jim and Dana Bernhard's Pin Oak Stud. World Beater came from the first crop of 2-year-olds Mott received from the farm.A $105,000 yearling, the son of Oscar Performance made two attempts on the main track as a 2-year-old before switching over to the turf this year and breaking his maiden at Churchill Downs on May 2. Following a win in the Audobon Stakes and a runner-up effort to Test Score (Lookin At Lucky) in the GI Belmont Derby, World Beater turned the tables on that rival in the Saratoga Derby.The win could not have been drawn up any better for Mott.“For one, it was in Saratoga,” he said. “A Grade I anywhere is special, but Saratoga is my home track where I grew up. Not only that, but my entire family was there–my children, my parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, my wife's whole side of the family.”World Beater added another victory this month in the Sept. 6 GIII Old Dominion Derby. He's now on a planned layoff heading into the fall, with Mott already mapping out a big 4-year-old campaign next year.Mott helps prepare Yoshida (Jpn) (Heart's Cry {Jpn}) for a trip to Royal Ascot in 2018 | Emma Berry Following World Beater's breakthrough, the barn's latest standout is Argos. A $165,000 OBS March purchase, the son of Nyquist is the first horse Mott has trained for David Romanik, an attorney from South Florida, and his group of partners.Argos broke his maiden at Ellis Park on July 13 and ran third in the Soaring Softly Stakes. Off at 6-1 in the GI Summer Stakes, the bay came flying late to get the win, fending off Godolphin's 'TDN Rising Star' Wild Desert (Ire) (Too Darn Hot {GB}).Now training back at Churchill Downs, Argos is on track for a trip to Del Mar. While Mott has plenty of Breeders' Cup experience, this will be his first representing his own stable at the World Championship meet.“My entire life, the Breeders' Cup has been my Super Bowl,” said Mott. “It's what I've looked forward to all year. I literally daydream about it constantly, so to have one going in just our third year is super exciting and he's not only one that qualified, but I think he's got a legitimate chance to be highly competitive in the race.”Since its launch, Mott's operation has grown into a stable of about 60 horses, with summer strings at Keeneland, Churchill Downs and Ellis Park, and winter bases at Keeneland and Palm Meadows. He hopes to expand further with a Saratoga barn next summer.Mott is well aware that carrying on the family name in racing comes with high expectations, but he doesn't begrudge building his career under the shadow of one of the sport's all-time greats.“It's an honor, because he's my dad and he's my superhero,” he said. “It's really flattering when people say nice things about him, but I find it as a good source of motivation to uphold the standard that he's set forth and the reputation that he has gained over his lifetime. I'd like to uphold that same standard and try to achieve the things that he has. It's a tall order, but I mean, why wouldn't you try to shoot for the stars and accomplish what he has?”Argos wins the GI Summer Stakes | Michael BurnsHe is quick to deflect comparisons with his father, but admits there's one area where he has the edge.“Maybe I communicate a little better than him and I'm a little more tech savvy than him,” the younger Mott said with a wry grin. “But I would say we're pretty similar. I have my own flavor to some different aspects of what we do in the barn and how we train, but his knowledge has been a major influence on our operation.”His father hasn't been the only trainer to shape his career. Mott said another mentor has influenced his approach to the sport.“One thing I took from Christophe Clement after being around his operation for so long is how he was so involved and conscious of bringing in young people and trying to help their careers,” Mott explained. “That inspired me, after he passed away, in thinking about what I could do to honor him. I think exposing the next generation is super important and something I really want to focus on.”Three University of Kentucky students are currently working for Mott at Keeneland and a University of Louisville student is in his barn at Churchill Downs.For Mott, it all comes back to legacy—not only the one he inherited, but the one he hopes to create. With two Grade I wins, a Breeders' Cup contender and a growing stable, his own story is just getting started.“The main thing is the horses,” he said. “Hopefully the good times keep rolling and we can keep getting fast horses.”The post Riley Mott Building His Own Legacy appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.