As the highly anticipated Kentucky Derby approaches, all eyes are on the talented horses and skilled trainers who will be competing for the prestigious title. Among the likes of veteran trainers like Todd Pletcher and Tim Yakteen, the Louisville native Brad Coax has emerged as a potential winning trainer in this year’s Derby. The 41-year-old will be entering the Churchill Downs with four stallions. But despite having such good odds in his favor, the veteran trainer isn’t relying on the numbers advantage. 

The 2021 Derby-winning trainer recently made headlines with his hilarious statement that describes the lessons he learned from his last year’s defeat. 

Lessons from last year’s Kentucky Derby

Coax has been one of the most popular trainers of recent times. The 41-year-old made headlines when he won his first derby title after the infamous disqualification of Medina Spirit in 2021. Last year, the star trainer was looking forward to becoming the second trainer in the history of sports to win two back-to-back Derbys after the legendary Baffert. However, the fairytale didn’t get the ending he was expecting, as his three competitors placed seventh (Tawny Port), tenth (Zozos), and eighteenth (Cyberknife).  

This year, the Louisville native has increased the number of horses to four, which can increase his chances of being on the winning side. However, the trainer recently appeared for an interview with Wlky and said that last year’s result still makes him doubt the numbers theory. When asked about his chances of winning a second Kentucky Derby title, Coax’s response was met with laughter as he said. “I don’t know if it’s enough because three wasn’t enough last year,”. 

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However, the trainer said that he has gained a lot of experience in all these years and it will help them as he enters Churchill Downs. “Each year you do it, you get a little more comfortable“, he said.  The 41-year-old would enter the Derby with an impressive 67 first-place finishes, a 60% win-place-show record, and a $7,989,383 earnings total. He is the highest-earning trainer in North America this year.

The veteran jockey and trainer join hands

Cox will enter Churchill Downs with his four horses. Hit Show, Verifying, Jace’s Road, and Angel of Empire. However, the Angel has become one of the top contenders to finish first as his jockey would be none other than Flavien Prat. The 30-year-old was in the limelight recently after he signed as the Jockey of Cox’s horses. The jockey is on a winning streak of four Breeder’s Cups. He also has the 2019, Derby title to his name as well. 

The coming together of the veteran trainer and jockey suddenly escalated the audience’s excitement. With the biggest horse racing event around the corner, fans can’t wait to see how things will unfold at Churchill Downs this year. Who’s your favorite to finish the line first? 

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