Trainer of the Quarter - Brad Cox

By Bill Heller

The quote greeting visitors to the Brad Cox Racing website tells you all you need to know about the 38-year-old trainer on an unbelievable roll: “I think to be successful at this, you’ve got to be somewhat obsessed.”

How could he not be?

In the space of six days, Cox, who grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, five blocks from Churchill Downs, realized he has two live contenders for the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks: Monomoy Girl, who gave Cox his first Grade 1 stakes victory when she won the Ashland Stakes by 5½ lengths at Keeneland on April 7th; and Sassy Sienna, who rallied to take the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes by a nose at Oaklawn Park on April 13th. Monomoy Girl is now five-for-six, the lone miss a second by a neck in the Grade 2 Golden Rod Stakes last year. “When she hit the wire, it was like, ‘Wow!’” Cox said. “To get a Grade 1 is something I’ll never forget. She means a lot to us.”

Cox’s success isn’t surprising to trainer Dallas Stewart, Cox’s mentor for five years before he ventured on his own in 2004. “Brad is doing a great job,” Stewart said. “I’m very proud of him. He works hard. He’s doing what he should be doing. He’s knocking it out of the park.”

No lie there. In 2017, Cox posted career highs in victories and earnings for the fourth consecutive year, finishing eighth in wins (204) and ninth in earnings ($8.83 million) in North America. So far this year, he’s fifth in both categories. That’s quite a progression from winning just 52 races and $1.1 million in his first five years total.

Cox said he never wavered in his belief that he would be more successful during his lean years. “There’s no substitute for the hours you put in,” he said. “I kept telling myself, ‘You’re one of the younger guys doing it. You’ll get a break.’ I never even thought about doing something different. I made a commitment to myself: this is what I want to do. This is what I’m going to do. It’s a lot of work, but I do believe if you stay focused and do the right things every day, opportunity will knock. If you stay with it, you will get a chance.”

He has made the most of his chances. He credits the first two trainers he worked under, Burk Kessinger Jr. and Jimmy Baker, for teaching him “to take pride in horses, how to take care of a horse, and horsemanship.” He thanks Stewart, one of D. Wayne Lukas’ many assistants who have starred in their own careers, with “learning organization, how to run a large barn. It’s meant a lot to our program,” Cox said.

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Cox’s stable has grown to 100 horses. They raced at Oaklawn Park and Keeneland this spring, and will race at Churchill Downs, Belmont, Saratoga, and in Indiana. “We’re very comfortable with where we are now,” he said.

And if succeeding requires a bit of obsession, so be it. “It’s something we talk about,” Cox said. “On a daily basis, you can work from the minute you wake up until the minute you go to bed. You can’t spend the time we do if you didn’t love it.”

Cox has loved it ever since his dad took him to Churchill Downs. “I was five or six years old,” Cox said. “I was intrigued.” He was intrigued enough to sneak into the track after school and dream: “I always dreamed of being big in the business. I’ve dreamed of having good horses for a while.”

He has them now. The up-and-comer has just about reached the head of the class.

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Trainer of the Quarter - Jason Servis

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By Bill Heller

The start of a new year did nothing to slow the momentum of 60-year-old trainer Jason Servis. He headed into February just 20 wins shy of a 1,000th career victory thanks to a sensational 2017 campaign, when he posted career highs in earnings, victories, and starts. And his legitimate Kentucky Derby contender, Firenze Fire, already has a step up on his rivals, having captured his three-year-old debut.

Though he may lack a national presence, Servis has a phenomenal career win percentage of 23.3, with 9,800 victories in 4,211 starts.

“Life is great, I was telling myself when I was out on my stable pony the other morning,” Servis said on February 1st. “I had my son (Garrett, 29) with me. I said, ‘I can’t believe I’m getting paid to do this.’”

At the start of his lifetime with horses, he wasn’t getting paid much. And he didn’t even mind. “My dad ended up a steward at Charles Town. That’s where I cut my teeth. No money. But they were the good old days. My dad made me. I learned the straight and narrow. Work hard. Keep your nose clean.”

It’s not only worked for Jason, but also for his younger brother John, who guided Smarty Jones to a career that came up one length short of winning the 2004 Triple Crown.

Servis started out as a jockey before he conceded to his size and weight. Next, he worked as an exercise rider and assistant trainer for Peter Fortay in the mornings and in the jockeys’ room in the afternoons at Monmouth Park.

In his first year as a trainer, he saddled just one horse. “I didn’t start training until I was 43,” he said. “I had seen a lot. It was a very good education for me.”

In his first full year of training in 2002, he won 14 races from 71 starts, just under 20 percent.

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Two years later, his brother John had the horse of a lifetime in Smarty Jones, whose victories in the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes left him eight-for-eight. “I’ll never forget, I was just sitting at the kitchen table by myself at a quarter to five the day after the Derby,” Jason said. “And I’m looking at these roses my wife had taken. I can’t believe my brother won the Kentucky Derby. We were on the track our whole lives.”

On the day after Smarty Jones won the Preakness, John, Jason, and their father were at Pimlico. “John did ‘Good Morning America’ and other interviews,” Jason said. “We were in such a fog from the race. It was overwhelming. We were kind of dazed. We couldn’t get the car started.”

There was a good reason. They were in the wrong car.

Talking about Smarty Jones’ second by a length in the Belmont Stakes is still painful for Jason Servis. You can hear it in his voice. “Gosh, I was really sad for my brother,” he said. “It was like someone beat him up.”

Maybe he can avenge that loss on behalf of his brother. Firenze Fire is now the winner of four-of-six starts, including the Grade 1 Champagne and Grade 3 Sanford Stakes, and the Poseidon’s Warrior colt started 2018 off right with a win in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct.

In 2017, Servis won 112 races and $4.9 million – 23rd in the country – from 391 starts, and it proved to be his most successful season to date, with Mr. Amore Stable’s Firenze Fire providing him with his first Grade 1, and Gary and Mary West’s Actress winning two graded stakes races.

He split his 50-horse stable at Belmont Park in New York and Payson Park in Florida this winter. “I could have more horses,” he said, but I think maybe less is worth more. I like to keep my hands on my horses.”

His philosophy is simple. “I developed a program from galloping horses,” he said. “Keep your horses happy. Once they’re fit, stay out of their way.”

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Trainer of the Quarter - Tim Glyshaw

By Bill Heller

Trainer Tim Glyshaw might still be pinching himself. On October 7th at Keeneland, the five-year-old horse Bucchero, owned by Ironhorse Racing Stable, LLC and trained by Glyshaw, captured the Grade 2 Woodford Stakes by a length and three-quarters at odds of 26-1. Eight days later in Toronto, he trained Wayne Spalding and Faron McCubbins’ five-year-old gelding Bullards Alley to a win in the Grade 1 Canadian International by 10¾ lengths at odds of 42-1.

“It was pretty incredible,” the former high school teacher and basketball coach said. “We always thought those horses were really nice horses, but it’s almost unimaginable.”

The kicker? Bullards Alley, who had given Glyshaw his first graded stakes victory by taking the Grade 3 Louisville Handicap at Churchill Downs on May 21st, 2016, hadn’t won another race since, losing 15 straight, including all nine starts this year, heading into the Canadian International. “He hadn’t won a race all year, but he sure picked a good time to do it,” Glyshaw laughed.

These are happy times for Glyshaw and his wife/assistant trainer Natalie, who race at Churchill Downs and Indiana Grand. Natalie, a daughter of jockey Ronald Ardoin, was working as a track photographer at Lone Star Park when she met Tim. She was also a track photographer at Churchill Downs.

He’s come a long way after deciding to re-direct his life. Unlike his wife, Glyshaw didn’t come from a racing background. “I am absolutely not from a racing family,” he said. He attended Indiana University and taught high school English, history, physical education, and driver’s education for three years while coaching basketball and soccer. “I really loved coaching, not so much the teaching,” he said.

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Bucchero

He changed his life when he decided to attend the Taylor Made Farm internship program for one year. “The only time I’d been around horses was with Lipizzaner Stallions, picking feet and brushing them,” he said.

He loved working with Thoroughbreds and became a hotwalker for trainer Bob Holthus. “They took bets on how long I would last,” Glyshaw said. “I showed up in a polo shirt. They thought I was a little pretty boy.” He said the over-under was one week. He stayed seven years.

After working for trainer Cole Norman for two years, Glyshaw opened his own stable in 2004. “I just decided it was time,” he said.

He struggled the first four years, winning just 32 races. In 2008, his numbers jumped up with 22 wins and earnings of $468,610. He has already clinched his sixth consecutive year with more than $1 million in earnings after a rough patch when his horses were among those quarantined at Fair Grounds in the winter and spring following an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1). “A lot of horsemen were affected,” he said. “It wasn’t just me.” His situation became worse when eight of his horses were claimed.

Now he’s back up to 27 horses, with 19 at Churchill Downs and eight at Indiana Grand. That includes two graded stakes winners. “I almost started crying when Bucchero won at Keeneland,” he said. “Now people can see we can win graded stakes at Keeneland and Woodbine. It would be nice if we get noticed.”

He was asked if he ever wonders what his life would have been had he remained a teacher and coach. “I really miss coaching basketball,” he said. “But getting to play and work with horses, it doesn’t get any better than that. And they don’t talk back.”

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Kiaran McLaughlin

First published in North American Trainer issue 44 - May - July 2017

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Graham Motion

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First published in North American Trainer issue 42 - November '16 to January '17

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Brad Cox

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Doug O'Neill

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Bob Baffert

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Paul Buttigieg

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter goes to Paul Buttigieg for when Phil's Dream bred, owned and trained by Paul Buttigieg overcame traffic problems in early stretch to win $328,826 Grade 1 Neartic Stakes by two lengths at Woodbine on October 13th.

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 30

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Author: Bill Heller 

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - John Kiely

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Lissa Oliver (European Trainer - Issue 43 / Autumn 2013)

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Jim Brown

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 29

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Guillermo Arizkorreta

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award goes to Guillermo Arizkorreta, having sent the same two horses to Dubai for the last two seasons and in both campaigns has enjoyed success with Plantagenet who won the Gloria De Campeao.

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - EUROPEAN TRAINER - ISSUE 41

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TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Graham Motion

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 28

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Cam Gambolati

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Cam Gambolati. Gambolati and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally-acclaimed range of TRM supplements, as well as a bottle of fine Irish whiskey.

BILL HELLER - (Issue 26 - Autumn 2012)

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Garry Simms

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter award has been won by Garry Simms. Simms and his team will receive a selection of products from the internationally-acclaimed range of TRM supplements, as well as a bottle of fine Irish whiskey.

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THIS ARTICLE FIRST APPEARED IN - NORTH AMERICAN TRAINER - ISSUE 25

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Author: Emma Berry​

TRM Trainer of the Quarter - Isabelle Pacault

The TRM Trainer of the Quarter goes to Isabelle Pacault for he win in the Prix Beugnot Hurdle at Enghien on February 28th with Beach Bar underlined her expertise.

Editorial Writer (European Trainer - Issue 37 / Spring 2012)