Brad Cox

In this series, the TDN takes a look at notable successes of European-based sires in North America. This week's column is highlighted by the Breeders' Cup meeting. Ethical Diamond Hands Mullins The Turf Training maestro Willie Mullins landed the biggest Flat victory of his career with Ethical Diamond (Awtaad) in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf on Saturday (video). A winner of a brace of valuable handicaps across the pond, the five-year-old gelding has also run seven of his lifetime starts over hurdles. Bred by W. Kennedy, Ethical Diamond is owned...

1st-Horseshoe Indianapolis, $32,000, Msw, 10-29, 3yo/up, 1 1/16m, 1:46.54, gd, 2 3/4 lengths. CONTRIBUTION (c, 3, Constitution--Gifting {SP}, by Street Cry {Ire}) broke as the narrow 2-1 second choice as the only first-time starter facing a field of far more experienced rivals in the mud Wednesday. Shifting sideways from the outside gate, he lacked any early speed and had only one runner beat around the clubhouse turn and into the backstretch while well off the pace through fractions of :24.24 and :48.37. Forced back and wider still behind race favorite...

The Week In Review 1) Not only will this year's Breeders' Cup championships feature the 1-2-3 finishers from each of the 2024 and 2025 GI Kentucky Derbies, but the two champion 2-year-old males who each won the GI Juvenile in the past two seasons will also be in action. Sovereignty (Into Mischief), Journalism (Curlin) and Baeza (McKinzie) all finished within 1 ¾ lengths of each other in the Derby six months ago, and will all hook up in Saturday's GI Classic. Mystik Dan (Goldencents), 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun...

Trainer Brad Cox celebrated a win in the GI Longines Kentucky Oaks a mere six months ago when Good Cheer (Medaglia d'Oro) ran to her odds that Friday afternoon. On Saturday at Churchill Downs another 2-year-old filly conditioned by him took home her first Oaks points when Life of Joy (Gun Runner) got her picture taken in the Rags To Riches Stakes. With only one race under her belt, Life of Joy certainly made it a memorable one when she romped over the competition by some 14 lengths at Horseshoe...

Continuing a fruitful campaign since returning from his elite-level World Cup triumph in Dubai, Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) put his best foot forward once again to take home the GIII Fayette Stakes on closing day of the Keeneland Fall meet. The grey collected his second win here since returning from Meydan, but had been tasked with taking on some salty company in the contests he didn't claim, too--namely the likes of Breeders' Cup Classic contenders Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) and Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Stephen Foster back in...

She may've been in another zip code early, but A Fine Chardonnay (Maclean's Music) was moving fastest late to inhale her rivals en route to victory in the Dean Dorton Myrtlewood Stakes at Keeneland. Debuted beneath the Twin Spires Sept. 11, she came off the pace and closed smartly to win by two lengths as a massive 45-1 longshot. She went off here at a much lower 2-1 on the back of some strong works at Churchill since that unveiling. A Fine Chardonnay jumped evenly with the field, but soon...

An overflow field of 3-year-old fillies is set to face the starter for Friday' GII Bank of America Valley View Stakes on the final couple of days of racing at the Keeneland Fall Meet. For bettors, the 8 1/2-furlong feature, which carries purse money of $400,000 (including KTDF money), seems like a true 'spread' race. Minnesota-bred Play With Fire (Oscar Performance) looms a logical favorite to give Chad Brown his second Valley View winner in the space of three years (Surge Capacity, 2023). Acquired privately from Fergus Galvin and trainer...

2nd-KEE, 110K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 1:32 p.m. The 2-year-old half-brother to MGISW Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil), LEADING CHANGE (Gun Runner) was an $800,000 acquisition for Case Clay Thoroughbred Management from Keeneland September last year and makes his debut Thursday for trainer Brad Cox, who also trained his Kentucky Oaks-winning half-sister. First dam Starship Warpseed, who sadly passed away last year, has a perfect six-for-six strike rate of runners to winners with GSP Mojovation (Quality Road) and GSP 'TDN Rising Star, presented by Hagyard' Star of Wonder (Uncle Mo) also amongst Leading Change's...

3rd-Keeneland, $110,000, Msw, 10-16, 2yo, 7f, 1:23.84, ft, 3 lengths. CONFESSIONAL (c, 2, Essential Quality--Speedy Vanessa, by American Pharoah) outran his 12-1 odds to graduate first out Thursday and become the 10th winner for his freshman sire (by Tapit). Wide of the speed from his outer draw, he stalked just off frontrunning Grand Slam Sam (American Pharoah) past the half-mile pole. Pushing past that rival into the stretch, he opened up three lengths to the wire. 'Insight' runners Colossus (Constitution) and Our Forefathers (Constitution) finished sixth and eighth respectively. Speedy...

3rd-Keeneland, $120,000, Alw (NW1X), Opt. Clm ($100,000), 10-11, 2yo, 1 1/16m, 1:45.94, ft, 1/2 length. RANCHO SANTA FE (c, 2, Tapit--Family Tree {MGSW & GISP, $733,387}, by Smart Strike) ran his record to two wins from as many trips to the races with a cozy success in a two-turn allowance Saturday afternoon at Keeneland. A debut winner going the one-mile configuration at Ellis Park on Aug. 24 and thereby possessing a key experience advantage over favored Infiltrate (Oscar Performance), who was trying a route of ground for the first time,...

In this continuing series, TDN's Senior Racing Editor Steve Sherack catches up with the connections of promising maidens to keep on your radar. Favored at 5-2 in his unveiling for Brad Cox in a very deep maiden special weight at Keeneland Saturday, Commandment (c, 2, Into Mischief) stamped himself as one to watch with a "sneaky good" fourth-place finish. Immediately under a ride from his inside draw, the Wathnan Racing colorbearer dropped back to race in 11th through an opening quarter in :22.75. He began to get his legs underneath...

Due to an injury sustained in training, WinStar Farm and CHC Inc.'s dual Grade I winner Patch Adams (Into Mischief--Well Humored, by Distorted Humor) will not be competing in the Breeders' Cup as planned and has been retired to WinStar Farm for the 2026 breeding season. A stud fee will be announced later. "Patch Adams had a straightforward lateral condylar fracture in his right hind that went back together extremely well, and he can race or breed without any notice of the fracture in 2026," said Dr. Larry Bramlage of...