Bill Mott

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY - The countdown to next year's inaugural Saudi Cup officially began Wednesday evening with a gala organized by the race's officials in the walking ring at the Fasig-Tipton sales grounds in Saratoga. The race, scheduled to be run next Feb. 29 at King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh, will be run over 1800 meters of the dirt track and will be worth $20 million--making it the world's richest race. The field will have a maximum of 14 runners, with $10 million going to the winner. Hosted by television...

Barry K. Schwartz's Japan (Medaglia d'Oro) displayed so much promise in his early training that former conditioner Mike Hushion thought he would be a GI Belmont S. contender. While the big, late-developing colt did not make it to the Test of a Champion, he was an impressive winner of the Easy Goer S. earlier that day, stamping his ticket to Saturday's GII Jim Dandy S. at Saratoga. (Video) "We were very high on him from the start," Schwartz said. "Mike Hushion actually thought he might be a Belmont horse if...

Juddmonte Farms homebred Riposte (GB) (Dansili {GB}) hopes to return to the sharp form she displayed last term and score her first win of the season in Saturday's GIII Modesty H. at Arlington Park. Finishing off 2014 with victories in Belmont's GII Sheepshead Bay S. May 2 and GII New York S. June 5, the Bill Mott pupil kicked off this season with a runner-up effort in Gulfstream's The Very One S. Feb. 21. Fifth in that venue's GIII Orchid S. Mar. 28, the bay was fourth in this year's...