Trainer Brad Cox reflects on his childhood dreams of winning the Kentucky Derby, which came true in an unexpected way when Mandaloun was declared the winner of Derby 147 after Medina Spirit's disqualification.
Key points
Brad Cox dreamed of winning the Kentucky Derby as a child.
He sketched a racetrack and imagined being a horseplayer.
Cox was declared the winner of Derby 147 in 2022.
Mandaloun won the Derby after Medina Spirit was disqualified.
Mentioned in this story
Brad Cox
Kentucky Derby 147
Inside the living room of his childhood home on Evelyn Ave., a very young Brad Cox grabbed a piece of cardboard so large it rivaled him in size, placed it on the floor and sketched out a racetrack.
“What horse are you?” he asked those around him, escorting plastic equine figurines to his scribbled starting gate.
Some were the namesakes of history’s most famous horses. Others figments of his imagination. “He didn't know much history,” Brad's older brother Doug Cox said, “because he wasn't very old himself.”
What Brad did know was that he wanted to be a horseplayer. Specifically, he wanted to win the Run for the Roses. His mother Mary still has his fifth-grade drawing prophesizing such. On it he declares: “I’m going to win the Kentucky Derby.”
Some 3 1/2 decades later, Brad has done that. Just not in the way he dreamed. Instead of standing in the winner’s circle on May 1, 2021, he got a text in February of the following year notifying him that Mandaloun had won Derby 147 after Medina Spirit’s disqualification.
Woo. Congrats.
Sure, the purse money’s still good. As is the green and white plaque affixed to Barn 22 on the backside at Churchill Downs. But the victory lap, the rose petals and the view of the track from the sport’s most coveted piece of real estate still evade him.
Perhaps not for long.
Brad Cox has three of the top five contenders for Derby 152 in Commandment, and . Together they dominated the prep races, each colt rounding out March with his own win (Fulleffort the Grade 3 , Commandment the Grade 1 and Further Ado the Grade 1 ). When asked if Commandment feels like a favorite to win on May 2, Cox said:
Q&A
How did Brad Cox become the Kentucky Derby winner?
Brad Cox was notified via text that Mandaloun won the Kentucky Derby 147 after Medina Spirit's disqualification.
What year did Brad Cox win the Kentucky Derby?
Brad Cox was declared the winner of the Kentucky Derby 147 in 2022.
What was Brad Cox's childhood dream related to horse racing?
Brad Cox dreamed of being a horseplayer and winning the Kentucky Derby since he was a child.
What is the significance of the Kentucky Derby for Brad Cox?
The Kentucky Derby represents the culmination of Brad Cox's lifelong aspiration to succeed in horse racing.
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“I don’t know if he’s a Kentucky Derby favorite, but I think he can be a Kentucky Derby winner. And that’s what I’m looking for. I’m looking for the winner, not the favorite.”
Jerry Cox, father to Doug and Brad, was a $2 bettor. He’d make the walk two blocks from their home to Churchill Downs, hang out with his buddies and put money on the ponies. Doug, 18 years Brad’s senior — “He was a surprise,” Doug said with a laugh — was interested in horse racing two days a year: Oaks and Derby. The rest of the time, “I was just wanting to play (basket)ball and chase girls.”
Brad wanted to join Jerry at the track, accompanying him on walks as a little boy and falling in love with the sport.
“That’s when the bug bit him,” Doug said. “... I know there’s people that have passions for things, but I’ve never seen it up close like this.”
In high school, Brad Cox reported to Churchill Downs at 6 a.m. to walk horses and clean stalls for trainers like Burt Kessinger, Jimmy Baker and Jenks Fires. During Brad’s sophomore year of high school at Iroquois, Doug tried to talk his little brother out of the business.
Leave the track alone. Stay in school. Get a good education.
Brad held firm.
“I'm going down this path,” Doug remembered Brad saying. “And I know there's going to be some curves. You're trying to straighten these curves out for me, but I know what I'm going to do.”
Brad Cox graduated from Iroquois in 1998 and got a job as an assistant to trainer Dallas Stewart two years later. In 2004, he went out on his own. Those were what the family refers to as the “lean years.”
Being in his early 20s, Cox had a hard time getting owners to entrust him with their high-dollar horses. He had a handful in his barn in the beginning. His Equibase profile reports $10,245 earnings in 2004.
About two decades later, Cox trains between 200 and 250 horses. He’s finished No. 1 in earnings among North American trainers in three of the last five years (2025, 2023 and 2021), averaging $29.29 million per season in that span.
His oldest son Bryson, 28, got into the family business after working on a breeding farm in Lexington. He loved being around horses, but the buzz of the racetrack pulled him back like gravity. Harsh wakeup calls at 3:45 or 4 a.m. are made more bearable by the passion he inherited from his dad.
"It's just a very exciting thing being around race horses and preparing them for races," Bryson said. "When it all comes together on race day and you get the job done, it's very rewarding."
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Chief Wallabee during a morning workout at Churchill Downs. The horses enters the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 50. April 19, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado walks by a sign honoring Sovereignty -- which he rode to a win in the 2025 Kentucky Derby -- at trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee. April 20, 2026
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Chief Wallabe outside trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs. The horses enters the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 50. April 19, 2026.
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Wonder Dean works at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Trainer is Daisuke Takayanagi. The horse has earned $725,172 so far. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. The horse's most recent race was in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. The horse's most recent race was in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third. April 20, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Chief Wallabee is walked back his stall at trainer Bill Mott's barn on the backside of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 19, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Wonder Dean works at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Trainer is Daisuke Takayanagi. The horse has earned $725,172 so far. April 20, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Incredibolt in his stall at Trainer Riley Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Pin Oak Stud won the Virginia Derby. April 20, 2026
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Albus on the track with exercise rider Antonio Garcia aboard for training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Albus on the track with exercise rider Antonio Garcia aboard for training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
Two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bill Mott at his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Mott has Chief Wallabee in the 152nd Kentucky Derby. April 20, 2026
Trainer Riley Mott in the stall of 152nd Kentucky Derby contender Albus while working at his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
Trainer Riley Mott carries the saddlecloth of 152nd Kentucky Derby contender Albus while working in his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
Trainer Riley Mott on the backside during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
Trainer Riley Mott watches training on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee for trainer Bill Mott. Alvarado won the 2025 Kentucky Derby aboard Sovereignty. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado at trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee. April 20, 2026
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby horse Right To Party on the track during a morning workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
2026 Kentucky Derby horse Right To Party on the track during a morning workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
1 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Chief Wallabee during a morning workout at Churchill Downs. The horses enters the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 50. April 19, 2026
1 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Chief Wallabee during a morning workout at Churchill Downs. The horses enters the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 50. April 19, 2026
2 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
3 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
4 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado walks by a sign honoring Sovereignty -- which he rode to a win in the 2025 Kentucky Derby -- at trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee. April 20, 2026
5 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Chief Wallabe outside trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs. The horses enters the Kentucky Derby off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on March 28 at Gulfstream Park. He currently ranks 17th on the Kentucky Derby points leaderboard with 50. April 19, 2026.
6 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Wonder Dean works at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Trainer is Daisuke Takayanagi. The horse has earned $725,172 so far. April 20, 2026
7 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. The horse's most recent race was in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third. April 20, 2026
8 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. The horse's most recent race was in the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, where he finished third. April 20, 2026
9 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Chief Wallabee is walked back his stall at trainer Bill Mott's barn on the backside of Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 19, 2026
10 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Wonder Dean works at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Trainer is Daisuke Takayanagi. The horse has earned $725,172 so far. April 20, 2026
11 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Incredibolt in his stall at Trainer Riley Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The Pin Oak Stud won the Virginia Derby. April 20, 2026
12 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Albus on the track with exercise rider Antonio Garcia aboard for training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
13 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Kentucky Derby 152 contender Albus on the track with exercise rider Antonio Garcia aboard for training at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
14 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Two-time Kentucky Derby winning trainer Bill Mott at his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Mott has Chief Wallabee in the 152nd Kentucky Derby. April 20, 2026
15 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Trainer Riley Mott in the stall of 152nd Kentucky Derby contender Albus while working at his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
16 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Trainer Riley Mott carries the saddlecloth of 152nd Kentucky Derby contender Albus while working in his barn on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
17 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby contender Albus on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Riley Mott. April 20, 2026
18 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Trainer Riley Mott on the backside during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
19 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Trainer Riley Mott watches training on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. Riley, who has two horses in the 2026 Kentucky Derby -- Albus and Incredibolt -- is the son of Derby winning trainer Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
20 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
21 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado on the backside at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee for trainer Bill Mott. Alvarado won the 2025 Kentucky Derby aboard Sovereignty. April 20, 2026
22 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado at trainer Bill Mott's barn at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. He's slated to ride Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee. April 20, 2026
23 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Jockey Junior Alvarado aboard 2026 Kentucky Derby horse Chief Wallabee during morning workouts at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. The horse is trained by Bill Mott. April 20, 2026
24 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
Japanese horse Wonder Dean, a contender for the 2026 Kentucky Derby, on the track with Churchill Downs veteran rider Mike Crowder aboard his pony at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
25 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby horse Right To Party on the track during a morning workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
26 / 26
A peek at the backside of Churchill Downs during Kentucky Derby Week
2026 Kentucky Derby horse Right To Party on the track during a morning workout at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky. April 20, 2026
No two horses are the same. And Bryson Cox sees his dad's willingness to let each colt or filly tell him when they're ready to race as the makings of a great trainer. It also makes the size and success of his operation all the more impressive.
“There's a negative connotation sometimes in the racing business about people that have that many horses — ‘Oh, it's just easy for them,’ and, ‘Your horse isn't getting the right attention if you're in one of those big barns,’” exercise rider Katie Tolbert said. “… But he (Brad) started out that way. And he’s grown and worked incredibly hard and dedicated his life to being successful.”
Tolbert started working for Cox about a year after his breakthrough horse Monomoy Girl won her second Breeders’ Cup in 2020. The rider wanted out of New York, where she was when Cox’s assistant, Dustin Dugas, invited her to come with them to Florida for winter training. Cox came down for the races and asked where else she wanted to go, to which Tolbert replied, “Anywhere but New York.” That’s how she ended up in Kentucky.
Since joining Cox’s staff, Tolbert has been impressed with his focus. Every day he pours over every horse, knowing where they ran last, where they’re going to run next and what their long-term plan is. He still pulls on his time as a groomer and hot walker to get a feel for how each horse is and where to place them.
“I don’t think too many people have the ability to do that,” Tolbert said. “But he loves it. And when he’s not doing it, he’s thinking about it.”
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - APRIL 25: Brad Cox, trainer of Commandment, Fulleffort and Further Ado, looks on in the barn area after morning workouts ahead of the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 25, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY - APRIL 25: Brad Cox, trainer of Commandment, Fulleffort and Further Ado, looks on in the barn area after morning workouts ahead of the running of the 152nd Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs on April 25, 2026 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
If Cox goes on vacation, he keeps his iPad closer than his sunscreen. The phone is constantly ringing, and it doesn’t care whether he’s at a Kentucky Wildcats football game or on the putting green with friends.
“He's the only person that's ever called me on the phone, and as soon as I say ‘Hello,’ he'll say, ‘Let me call you back,’” Doug Cox said.
It’s a 24-7 job. But it’s what Brad Cox always dreamed of doing. And it’s what pays for his houses in Kentucky, New Orleans and soon-to-be Florida.
Tolbert imagines most people in the industry would put Cox in “the top handful” of trainers. But he’s still driven by a desire to show his mettle. To prove that the young man from Louisville’s South End could manage all this all by himself.
A win on Derby day this year, two blocks from his childhood home, would give Cox a long-awaited chance to stop and smell the rose garland.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at ptitus@gannett.com and follow her on X @petitus25. Subscribe to her "Full-court Press" newsletterherefor a behind-the-scenes look at how college sports' biggest stories are impacting Louisville and Kentucky athletics.
