Bill Mott has a story about Rocky, his 10-year-old stable pony, that may be best taken with a pinch of salt. The Hall of Fame trainer tells it with a mischievous smile, leaving listeners to decide how much is fact and how much is a well-timed joke. But behind the tale is a former Thoroughbred who has become a familiar and dependable companion to Mott and his horses.
Rocky travelled to Keeneland from Mott’s home base in Saratoga Springs, New York, alongside Sovereignty and Knightsbridge, who were preparing for the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Classic (G1), and T Kraft, entered in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1). While the attention naturally falls on the accomplished racehorses, Rocky has a job of his own. Wherever Mott takes his horses, the pony is usually close by, accompanying them on their daily trips to the track.
The obvious question, then, is how Rocky came into Mott’s life.
Bill Mott’s Rocky Story Begins With an Unusual Prayer
Mott places the beginning of the story somewhere two or three years ago, although he offers no precise date. His version begins with a prayer and a request that sounds more like a joke than a serious wish.
“I was saying my prayers one night and I thought, just to finish it off, I would say, ‘Lord, please get me some of those horses like Chad Brown gets to train,’” Mott recalled with a grin. “And, sure enough, there is Rocky.”
There was no overnight miracle involving a pony appearing in the backyard. The real explanation was considerably more practical.
An outrider at Saratoga’s Oklahoma Training Track was preparing to move to Florida and asked Mott whether he would be interested in buying the pony that had been working there. Mott agreed, and the horse that came into his care would eventually become Rocky.
At the time, however, the pony answered to a rather different name: Looking At Bikinis.
From Looking At Bikinis to Rocky
Looking At Bikinis had previously raced under trainer Chad Brown. The Thoroughbred made 10 starts, recording four victories, and competed against strong opposition during a modest but respectable career.
The horse never won a stakes race but did contest the $1 million Travers Stakes (G1) in 2019, finishing 11th. That same year, a fourth-place finish came in the $750,000 Cigar Mile (G1).
When the former racehorse joined Mott’s operation, his name did not quite fit the new role.
“There is nothing wrong with Looking At Bikinis,” Mott said, smiling even more broadly. “But you can’t name a horse Looking At Bikinis. That is too sissy. Rocky sounds a little better.”
Mott, who played high school football and wrestled before establishing his career in racing, clearly preferred something with a little more toughness. Looking At Bikinis was therefore given a new identity, and Rocky became the name attached to his second career.
The change proved fitting. The pony was no longer required to compete for racecourse honours. Instead, his responsibility was to help keep the horses around him settled as they went about their daily routines.
Rocky Settles Into Life at Keeneland
Mott has few complaints about how the arrangement has worked. Sovereignty, Knightsbridge and T Kraft have all made their regular walks from Rice Road up the hill to Keeneland’s racing surface with Rocky alongside them. The former racehorse has become a steady presence, helping maintain the familiar routine around the stable.
“He is good,” Mott said. “He has turned into a pretty good pony. His second career has been pretty good. It’s hard to find the perfect pony or the perfect horse, but he is doing pretty well.”
There was, however, a small reminder of Rocky’s previous life when he first began accompanying the horses around the paddock.
“He had a flashback walking through the paddock for the first time,” Mott recalled. “He thought it was all about him and he thought he was going to be tacked up.”
It was an understandable reaction from a horse that had once competed on the racetrack. For Rocky, the paddock would have been a familiar place, associated with the preparations that preceded a race. His first visit in a new role apparently brought back some old memories.
That moment passed, and Rocky gradually settled into his responsibilities. The former racehorse now accompanies the stable’s runners without needing to be the centre of attention.
For Mott, the story is a reminder that a Thoroughbred’s life can take a rewarding turn long after its racing days have ended. Rocky’s competitive career may not have produced a major stakes victory, but his work as a stable pony has earned him a lasting place in one of racing’s most respected operations.
And while Mott’s tale about a prayer being answered with the arrival of Rocky may invite a smile, the affection behind it is unmistakable. The horse once known as Looking At Bikinis has found a new purpose, a new name and a trusted place beside the trainer he now accompanies from Saratoga to Keeneland.
It may not be the career Rocky was originally bred for, but it appears to suit him just fine. For Mott, the partnership looks like the beginning of a long-lasting relationship — one built on familiarity, patience and a pony with a suitably tough name.
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