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Brad Cox
Record at Keeneland
Career Firsts
Starters in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes
|
Year |
Horse |
Finish |
|
2024 |
Just a Touch |
2nd |
|
2023 |
Verifying |
2nd |
|
2021 |
Essential Quality |
Won |
At Keeneland
Five titles as leading trainer: 2023 Fall Meet (13 wins), 2022 Fall Meet (11 wins), 2021 Fall Meet (16 wins), 2020 Fall Meet (15 wins) and 2018 Spring Meet (13 wins to equal Wesley Ward).
Won three stakes during the 2024 Spring Meet: the MiddleGround Capital Beaumont (G2) with Denim and Pearls, the Stonestreet Lexington (G3) with Encino and the Bewitch (G3) Presented by Keeneland Sales with Chop Chop.
During the 2023 Fall Meet, he sent out Idiomatic to win the Juddmonte Spinster (G1). Idiomatic next won the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1) at Santa Anita.
Won four stakes during the 2023 Spring Meet, joining Ben Jones, Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown as trainers with four stakes wins during a Spring Meet.
Won three Keeneland stakes with champion Essential Quality: the 2020 Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1) and the TVG Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance and the 2021 Toyota Blue Grass (G2).
Sent out Caravel to win the 2022 Franklin (G3) and the Breeders' Cup Turf Sprint (G1) and the 2023 Shakertown (G2) in consecutive starts.
Scored first Grade 1 win of career (and first Keeneland stakes win) when future champion Monomoy Girl captured the 2018 Central Bank Ashland. Monomoy Girl next won the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the Acorn (G1), the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and the Breeders' Cup Distaff (G1).
Won the 2019 Darley Alcibiades (G1) with British Idiom, who next won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) and was named champion 2-year-old filly.
Other Grade 1 Keeneland wins: 2020 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) with Aunt Pearl (IRE), 2020 Big Ass Fans Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile with Knicks Go, 2021 Coolmore Jenny Wiley with Juliet Foxtrot (GB) and 2021 Darley Alcibiades with Juju's Map.
Maintains a year-round training operation at Keeneland. At 2, Monomoy Girl turned in the first three timed works of her career here in June 2017.
Earned his first Keeneland win during the 2005 Fall Meet.
Career
Received 2020 and 2021 Eclipse Awards as outstanding trainer.
Triple Crown wins (2): 2021 Kentucky Derby with Mandaloun; 2021 Belmont with Essential Quality.
Breeders' Cup wins (9): 2019 Juvenile Fillies with British Idiom and Filly and Mare Sprint with Covfefe; 2020 Distaff with Monomoy Girl, Dirt Mile with Knicks Go, Juvenile with Essential Quality and Juvenile Fillies Turf with Aunt Pearl (IRE); 2021 Classic with Knicks Go; 2022 Turf Sprint with Caravel and 2023 Distaff with Idiomatic.
Posted North American career win 2,000 Feb. 19, 2023, when Bishops Bay won the fifth race at Fair Grounds.
Earnings exceed $176 million with 2,320 wins through May 12, 2024.
2021 earnings of $33,125,312 are a single-season record for a trainer in North America.
Recorded 1,000th career win Nov, 18, 2018, at Fair Grounds when Play On won the fifth race.
Click here for his Equibase career record.
Background
Brad grew up in Louisville near Churchill Downs. He used to go to the track with his father and once told him: “I want to be the next D. Wayne Lukas,” Jennie Rees reported in the Louisville Courier-Journal. “I’d see a Racing Form someone threw in the trash, I’d take it home, reading it front to back – the articles, stats, horses, pedigrees, trying to figure out what could go long, go short, grass, dirt. I’d save them all. Never threw out a Form.”
Brad became involved in racing while working for trainers Burt Kessinger and Jimmy Baker before landing a job as assistant to trainer Dallas Stewart. His five-year stint there introduced him to the successful training program of Racing Hall of Famer D. Wayne Lukas that has been passed down through former assistants such as Todd Pletcher, Kiaran McLaughlin and Stewart.
After scoring his first win in December 2004 (with his second starter), Brad launched his training career in 2005 at the age of 25. His barn enjoyed a breakout year in 2014, accumulating 75 wins in 295 starts and earning $2,394,571. He recorded first graded stakes win that year with Carve in the Prairie Meadows Cornhusker (G3).