Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott had his first Breeders’ Cup runner 37 years ago, in 1986. The following fall, Mott sent out the first of his 12 Breeders’ Cup winners, Theatrical in the Turf. Thirty-five years after Theatrical, last November at Keeneland, Mott had his second two-win Breeders’ Cup, with Elite Power in the Sprint and Cody’s Wish in the Dirt Mile. Both horses, among eight Mott has aimed for this year’s Breeders’ Cup at Santa Anita, return for a repeat bid in their respective races. No surprise there: Of the 120 Breeders’ Cup runners on the Mott ledger, 19 started in at least two Breeders’ Cup races. The Mott horse with the most Breeders’ Cup starts, Channel Maker, raced in every Turf from 2018-22. Channel Maker was retired this past week at age 9, but Mott still has another well-aged grass horse for the Breeders’ Cup. Casa Creed, 7, will make his third appearance in the BC Mile and fourth Breeders’ Cup appearance overall. Casa Creed finished ninth in the 2020 Mile at Keeneland and eighth in the 2021 Mile at Del Mar, but in the Mott universe, that hardly disqualifies him from contention this year. Tourist, age 5 at the time, scored a 12-1 upset in the 2016 Mile at Santa Anita after finishing eighth and 13th in his first two Mile tries. Casa Creed makes his third trip to California following the 2021 Mile and a start in March of that year in the Kilroe Mile at Santa Anita, where he raced competitively but finished sixth. Don’t judge the horse on those performances. “He might have gotten better since then,” Mott said, reached by phone Tuesday. :: DRF Breeders' Cup Packages on sale now! Get everything you need to win and save up to 32% off the retail price.  Casa Creed does appear to be better now than he was during 2021. In terms of Beyer Speed Figures, Casa Creed broke 100 only three times in his first 23 starts yet has crossed that threshold five times in his last eight races. The three exceptions were the 1351 Turf Sprint in Saudi Arabia, where no figure was assigned; the Jaipur in May, where Casa Creed got a 99; and the 2022 BC Turf Sprint, where Casa Creed finished ninth with a 93. Casa Creed tried the Turf Sprint at Keeneland last year because he’d run poorly in the 2020 Mile at Keeneland. Connections knew he wouldn’t contend in the Mile over that course, but as it happened, Casa Creed’s distaste for the Keeneland grass kept him from producing his typically competitive showing going one turn or two. Casa Creed comes to the BC Mile without a race since he won the Grade 1 Fourstardave on Aug. 12 at Saratoga because the only subsequent suitable spot was the Coolmore Turf Mile on Oct. 7 at Keeneland. “The last thing we were going to do was go to Keeneland,” said Mott, who trains Casa Creed for L R E Racing and JEH Racing Stable. “We tried that enough.” Casa Creed is the rare horse with a Grade 1 win in a two-turn mile and in a six-furlong sprint, the Jaipur, which he landed in 2021 and 2022. “Not many horses can do that. If he gets a lot of pace going three-quarters, he flies home,” Mott said. Casa Creed has taken two tough beats, by a head and a neck, in the 1351 Sprint in Saudi Arabia; make those losses wins, and his career earnings would exceed $3 million. He ships well, he almost always shows up, and Casa Creed will head to Santa Anita fresh and sharp. He works regularly with Elite Power, and the longer break into this BC Mile might be a blessing. “He’s easy to train, nice to gallop, everyone enjoys getting on him,” said Mott. “He handles the travel well. He does get a little nervous going to the gate, sometimes is a little washy in the paddock; he’ll sweat behind his hind legs a little. That’s just him.” Pre-race jitters. After 120 Breeders’ Cup starts, Mott won’t have them. ◗ Mawj, winner of the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup this past Saturday at Keeneland, her first start since capturing the 1000 Guineas in May, will run in the Mile and not the Filly and Mare Turf, trainer Saeed bin Suroor said this week. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.