Scott's Loyalty Develops Into Forever Home With Mott

In the early morning hours at Saratoga Race Course, Erma Scott beamed as she kissed the head of 5-year-old Art Collector .

"We love them; they're like babies to me. We talk to them and I play with them," Scott said.

At 70, Scott has spent more than half of her life dedicated to the Bill Mott racing stable.

Over the past few decades she has worked with many of the Hall of Famer's top horses, including Cigar, Elate, Lea  , and Ron the Greek .

"I loved Ron the Greek, that was my boy. One day the boss told me, 'Hey I found you another Ron the Greek,' and that Ron the Greek was Art Collector," Scott said. "I love Art Collector too; he reminds me of Ron the Greek."

A multiple grade 1 winner, Ron the Greek won the 2013 Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational Stakes (G1), and the Stephen Foster Handicap (G1) and Santa Anita Handicap (G1) in 2012. He ended his career with $2,769,557 in the bank.

Art Collector has also found his way to the top, recording wins in the Woodward Stakes (G1) and Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2) in 2021, and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (G2) in 2020.

The son of Bernardini won the Aug. 4 Alydar Stakes last out at the Spa and is set to defend his title Aug. 26 in the Charles Town Classic at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races.

Despite dedicating her life to Mott's stable, Scott was not a natural horse enthusiast—she came by the profession serendipitously. Jobs were scarce in her native "small town" of Ferriday, La., so she eventually relocated three hours away to New Orleans in search of better opportunities. She landed a food service job close to Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots, where Mott was training at the time.

"I worked at a place called Liuzza's Restaurant and the boss' help used to come over there to eat during the day and at night," Scott said. "One day I said, 'Can ya'll teach me how to walk horses?' and they said 'Yes.'"

Having never been around horses previously, Scott took quickly to the ways of the racetrack.

"Before I would go to work in the mornings, I would go over there and they taught me how to walk horses. After that... the boss was going to Kentucky so I asked if I could go to Kentucky with him. He said, 'Oh yeah, you can come.'"

Only a short while later, Scott packed up her life in New Orleans and set out for Kentucky in her little green Hyundai.

"He probably was surprised because I showed up and he didn't need me because he had a lot of hot walkers there, but he went on and hired me anyways," Scott said.

"I liked it because you go to work at 5 o'clock in the morning; I said 'Oh boy, you go to work at 5 o'clock and you're done by 10 or 11 o'clock.' You have the whole day for yourself, that's what made me take it."

Later on, Scott found herself taking on additional duties outside of the racetrack, including helping Mott's wife Tina with their children: Riley, Brady, and Olivia.

"I used to help Tina in the house and then I would walk (horses) in the morning and that was history. I've been with (Mott) for 37 years. (It's) a long time," she mused.

Sitting aboard track pony Bugsy at his barn near the Oklahoma Training Track, Bill Mott smiled as he spoke about how integral Scott has been to his business and his family.

"She's been part of not only the horse operation for a long time, but she helped when my kids were growing up," Mott said. "She helped raise Brady and Riley and Olivia. If we ever needed help she was always there.

"Put it this way, I have always entrusted my most valuable possessions to her, whether it be my children or my horses. She's been a good friend. She's a very loyal employee. Don't say anything bad about me, or she'll fight."

Mott's son Riley, who recently announced he will open his own stable, also articulated the influence Scott has had on his life.

"As far back as I can remember in my life, she was there. I wasn't lucky enough to grow up having grandparents, they all passed away when I was really, really young, so she was very much a grandparent figure to me," Riley said. "She helped take care of me when my parents couldn't. She disciplined me and taught me life lessons. She really was a member of the family and still is, of course. She helped shape who I am today."

He says one of the biggest lessons Scott taught him was accountability for himself and his actions. He spoke of her devotion to providing the best care for the horses. 

"She truly loves and cares about my dad and the rest of the family and my siblings, who she also helped raise," he said. "She's passionate and very loving...Not only in the barn did she learn really quickly, but being around her you can tell she really, really cares about the horses. She's massaging them and really puts an emphasis on the care for the horses. She'll walk around and tell the grooms they need to be doing this or that better, according to her standards."

As time has passed, Scott's work at the track has shifted to massaging and caretaking rather than hotwalking. She also still lives with the Mott family and helps care for their two dogs, Winston and Daisy.

"We all have to learn, and she learned. She walked horses and at this stage, (she) does some of the magnetic machines and the massaging and that sort of thing," the elder Mott said. "Things that are a little easier for her to do but nonetheless things that are important."

The younger Mott added to this sentiment, saying: "She always has her one or two that are her little projects she's working on. She falls in love with them but she'll walk around the shed row and she'll be loving on them and petting them. It's cool to see, she loves the horses just as she loved me and my siblings growing up. It's pretty equivalent to how we were raised."

For Scott, a job working for Mott has developed into much more than she initially envisioned. From hotwalking horses to becoming a cherished part of the Mott household, she has made her mark on not only the industry but on a family within it.

When asked why she never considered another career, the animals she adores are at the center of her response.

"I love horses. Horses are nice," she said. "It's a dream come true... I just love it."