Brad Cox

Sacrosanct (Honest Mischief) maintained his flawless record by the closest margin of his career when winning the New York Stallion Series Great White Way Stakes. A winner at first-asking Aug. 21 at Saratoga, he parlayed that unveiling into a 12-length tour-de-force in the Sept. 22 New York-bred restricted Bertram F. Bongard Stakes and secured his third victory in a row last out Oct. 27 at this venue in the Sleepy Hollow Stakes. Stalking the early pace and pressing from the outside behind :22.30 and :45.01 early splits, he made his...

Staton Flurry wanted to park that trophy on his shelf. He wanted to win the Oaklawn Park owner's title so badly he could taste it. The hometown product who calls Hot Springs his backyard and sports that wide grin, knew the race was going to be a good old-fashioned Arkansas throwdown. Flurry sweated it, stayed up late strategizing and for months did everything humanly within the rules to secure the prize. Let's put it this way, if he had a jockey's license he might have donned his distinctive black and...

Shadwell Stable's 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), a jaw-dropping winner of her first two career starts sprinting at Churchill Downs, remained unbeaten in front-running fashion while making her two-turn debut in Saturday's GII Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct. The win, good for 10 points on the road to the GI Kentucky Oaks, provided Coolmore stallion Munnings with a sweep of the juvenile graded stakes races at the Big A following Poster (Munnings)'s success in the GII Remsen Stakes contested one race earlier on the program. Muhimma stopped the clock for 1...

With the road to the 2025 GI Kentucky Oaks officially underway, Brad Cox already trains arguably the top two juvenile fillies in the country. After this weekend, he may even have the third. 'TDN Rising Star' Muhimma (Munnings), a press-and-pounce winner of her first two starts by a combined margin of 13 jaw-dropping lengths at Churchill Downs, will make her two-turn and stakes debut for Cox in Saturday's GII Demoiselle Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct. A $700,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by Shadwell Stable, the rail-drawn gray has...

The Saturday graded stakes action across North America offers several options, but the Big A earns the spotlight as the venerable NYRA track plays host to some strong races. Even though the Cigar Mile Handicap was downgraded a tick from its top level status by the American Graded Stakes Committee in 2023, connections still consider the race to possess a certain cache and the rigor in this year's edition is evident. "It [Cigar Mile] came up pretty salty," said Book'em Danno's trainer Derek Ryan. "It is a Grade II now...

When the TDN staff decided to make Patch Adams (Into Mischief) and Chasten (Into Mischief) 'TDN Rising Stars' after their maiden wins Saturday at Churchill Downs history was made by trainer Brad Cox. Never before has a trainer had two Rising Stars on the same day. Both were obvious choices. Patch Adams ran away from his competition to win by 10 lengths. Chasten, a winner by 1 ½ lengths, wasn't quite as impressive, but that she is half-sister to 2023 Older Filly & Mare Champion Idiomatic (Curlin) obviously swayed the...

Godolphin homebred Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) unleashed a powerful run on the far turn and made it a perfect four-for-four with an off-the-pace victory in Saturday's GII Golden Rod Stakes at Churchill Downs, good for 10 points on the Road to the Kentucky Oaks. 'TDN Rising Star' Quietside (Malibu Moon) was 2 1/2 lengths back in second. Eclatant (Into Mischief) was third. Favored at 3-5 off a 4 3/4-length success in the track-and-trip Rags To Riches Stakes Oct. 27, the bay filly bumped with a rival shortly after the start...

WinStar Farm, CHC Inc and Siena Farm's Patch Adams (c, 2, Into Mischief--Well Humored, by Distorted Humor) tore away from his rivals in the final furlong to become the day's second 'TDN Rising Star' for his sire, trainer Brad Cox and jockey Florent Geroux with a jaw-dropping performance. He becomes the 47th 'Rising Star' for the Spendthrift super-stallion. Looking to atone for a debut third--albeit a highly rated one--when odds-on at Keeneland Oct. 11, the homebred colt was 58 cents on the dollar this time around and made absolutely no...

Saturday's program at Churchill Downs is meant to showcase the 'Stars of Tomorrow' and Juddmonte's bred-in-the-purple Chasten (f, 2, Into Mischief--Lockdown, by First Defence) shaped as just that, as she did her best work through the line to score by a widening margin and earn the 'TDN Rising Star' badge. The half-sister to champion Idiomatic (Curlin), MGISW, $3,944,190, appeared to get bounced around at the break of the seven-furlong contest and was clearly last early before making progress and improving a spot or two down the backstretch. Asked to come...

Horse racing and bourbon intersect in so many ways, but they really form a nexus around the themes of time and patience. Without either in the breeding shed or in the rickhouse, your chances at success will be severely hampered. There is nothing quite so powerful as a statement of age in the racing form or an age statement out of the barrel. When it comes to Thoroughbreds and specifically placing a strong emphasis on homebreds, John Ed Anthony's Shortleaf Stable personifies what many in the industry think a great...

Trainer Brad Cox sends out the top two chances on the morning line for Friday's GII Clark Stakes at Churchill Downs, and those who support the duo from a pari-mutuel perspective will be looking for some positive cashflow to get a head start on their holiday shopping. Since being acquired privately by Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani's Wathnan Racing earlier this season, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) has yet to taste defeat in three starts, including the GIII West Virginia Governor's Stakes in August, a neck defeat of Cooke...

5th-Fair Grounds, $58,000, Msw, 11-24, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.27, ft, 3 3/4 lengths. HOT PROPERTY (c, 2, Medaglia d'Oro--Milwaukee Appeal {Ch. 3-year-old Filly-Can, MSW & GSP-Can, MGISP-USA, $1,198,674}, by Milwaukee Brew), sent off at 4-1, bounced out to the early lead and had favored So Sandy (Omaha Beach) racing just to his outside through an opening quarter in :24.89 and a half in :49.65. He shrugged off that foe at the top of the lane and skipped clear to the wire to graduate by 3 3/4 lengths. Seattle Road (Quality...