Brad H. Cox

Born and raised in Louisville, Ky., Brad Cox began his career under trainers Burk Kessinger and Jimmy Baker, later earning a job as an assistant to trainer Dallas Stewart. Cox launched his solo training career in 2005 and has since trained multiple graded stakes Chocolate Ride and Call Pat as well as top-tier runners Spelling Again, Almasty, and Carve. In 2018, Cox was the leading trainer at the Fair Grounds meet that ended March 31 with 54 winners.

Cox had three runners for the Longines Kentucky Oaks, including Monomoy Girl, who gave Cox his first career Grade 1 win in the Central Bank Ashland Stakes at Keeneland in April.  Monomoy Girl gamely dug in to fend off Wonder Gadot in a thrilling stretch drive to win the Kentucky Oaks, giving Cox another Grade 1 on his resume. After added a pair of Grade 1 wins over the summer, Monomoy Girl gave Cox his first Breeders' Cup victory when she held off fast-closing Wow Cat to win the Longines Distaff on Nov. 3 at Churchill Downs.

In 2019 he trained speedy 3-year-old filly Covfefe to a track-record victory in the Adena Springs Miss Preakness Stakes, completing six furlongs in 1:07.70 and later that fall captured the Grade 1 Darley Alcibiades Stakes with British Idiom, who went on to win the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies on Nov. 1. Cox's memorable Breeders' Cup continued on Nov. 2 when Covfefe took the 2019 Filly and Mare Sprint as the 3-2 favorite.

In 2020, Cox enjoyed the return of Monomoy Girl, who won her first three races of the year through September, including two graded stakes. He also picked up his second win in the Longines Kentucky Oaks with longshot Shedaresthedevil. His sustained success through October was only a prelude to a breakthrough November weekend at the Breeders' Cup World Championships, however.

At Keeneland, Cox tallied his fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh wins in the Breeders' Cup World Championships with Juvenile Fillies Turf victress Aunt Pearl, TVG Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Presented by Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance winner Essential Quality, Big Ass Fans Dirt Mile winner Knicks Go, and the sensational Monomoy Girl in the Distaff. Monomoy Girl captured her second Distaff for Cox and in all likelihood punched her ticket to the Racing Hall of Fame.

That memorable weekend at the 2020 Breeders’ Cup helped Cox win his first Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer. He finished 2020 ranked second by purse earnings among North American trainers with $18,983,832 and also second with 30 graded stakes winners.

In 2021, Cox raced in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve for the first time. He entered Mandaloun and Essential Quality, the favorite. Both raced well, finishing second and fourth, respectively. Five weeks later, Essential Quality returned to win the Belmont Stakes Presented by NYRA Bets, giving Cox his first win in a Triple Crown race.

Cox added a Longines Breeders' Cup Classic win to his credentials in 2021, when he saddled Knicks Go to victory. The 4-year-old colt took the field gate-to-wire for his third Grade 1 win of the year. 

Cox finished 2021 by establishing a single-season North American earnings record for a trainer with over $31.8 million, and he received his second consecutive Eclipse Award as Outstanding Trainer. 

Less than two weeks later, on Feb. 21, 2022 the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission issued a ruling disqualifying Medina Spirit from first place in the 2021 Kentucky Derby based on the horse testing positive for betamethasone on raceday, elevating Mandaloun as the winner. Louisville native Cox thus added a Kentucky Derby victory to his list of accomplishments.