Brad Cox, a top horse trainer, seeks another Kentucky Derby win with multiple contenders this year, including Commandment and Further Ado, both favored at 6-1 odds. Despite his success, he emphasizes the importance of finding the actual winner over just being a favorite.
Key points
Brad Cox is a leading horse trainer.
He has had 12 starters in the Kentucky Derby.
Cox's horses Commandment and Further Ado are 6-1 favorites.
He prioritizes finding the winner over being the favorite.
Heās positioned on the short list of next-generation trainers prepared to usher in a new era of horse racing as the longtime stalwarts like Bob Baffert and Bill Mott enter the twilight of their careers.
Heās been there before in 2024 with Catching Freedom and Just a Touch as two of the top five morning-line favorites. And heāll probably do it again in the years to come.
āIām looking for the winner, not the favorite,ā Cox said. āIāve always said there are 19 Derby horses and thereās one Derby winner. Iām looking for the winner.ā
Q&A
Who is Brad Cox and what is his significance in horse racing?
Brad Cox is a prominent horse trainer known for his success in the industry, positioned among the next-generation trainers as established figures like Bob Baffert retire.
What are the odds for Brad Cox's horses in the Kentucky Derby?
Cox's horses, Commandment and Further Ado, are both among the top morning-line favorites with odds of 6-1.
How many Kentucky Derby starters has Brad Cox had?
Brad Cox has had 12 starters in the Kentucky Derby throughout his career.
What is Brad Cox's approach to the Kentucky Derby?
Cox focuses on finding the actual winner of the Derby rather than just aiming for the favorite, stating that there is only one winner among the 19 horses.
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WAVE 3 sports director Kendrick Haskins and news anchor Shannon Cogan interview trainer Brad Cox after the 2026 Kentucky Derby Draw at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Cox has three horses -- Commandment, Fulleffort and Further Ado -- in this year's Derby. April 25, 2026.
WAVE 3 sports director Kendrick Haskins and news anchor Shannon Cogan interview trainer Brad Cox after the 2026 Kentucky Derby Draw at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Cox has three horses -- Commandment, Fulleffort and Further Ado -- in this year's Derby. April 25, 2026.
Maybe this year, the winner heās looking for could even be his third entrant into the 20-horse field, Fulleffort, who finished fifth among American horses in the Kentucky Derby points standings.
Cox isnāt waiting for greatness to happen. Heās a āsuper trainerā for a reason.
Check the earnings leaders from three of the past five years and itās Cox atop the list, claiming more than $30 million in winnings each year in 2021, 2023 and 2025.
Heās already a two-time winner of the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Trainer ā and that came in back-to-back years in 2020-21. Cox won the Belmont Stakes in 2021 with Essential Quality and claimed the Breedersā Cup Classic that same year with Knicks Go.
But for some reason, sports discussions have deteriorated largely into arguments about championship rings without an appreciation of greatness. And in horse racing, especially for many of the casual fans who only discuss it this time of the year, it boils down to whether you won the Kentucky Derby.
Cox is the first to admit he doesnāt truly know what it feels like. He has yet to win the Kentucky Derby on the dirt track at Churchill Downs before 150,000-plus fans on the first Saturday in May.
Although he is recognized for winning it in 2021 with Mandaloun, his victory came in February 2022 before just a handful of people in a closed meeting of the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission. A three-member panel of the Board of Stewards disqualified the Baffert-trained Medina Spirit, who crossed the finish line first, for a failed drug test.
Coxās win comes with an asterisk and keeps afloat the narrative that he might be more like Steve Asmussen ā among the greatest trainers to never win the Run for the Roses. If thatās the path his career takes, then itāll be a pretty big compliment. Asmussen is the winningest trainer in North American horse racing history.
Cox has a ways ā or, more realistically, decades ā to go before he could eclipse Asmussenās win total. But what he has done so well is position himself to win, and thatās why his time is now.
Winning at the highest level often requires a lot of times coming up short in pursuit of the top spot.
Cox has never won the Preakness Stakes. But heās finished third twice, as he also has a pair of third-place finishes in the Kentucky Derby. More than likely, heāll break through and win them all at some point.
