Brad Cox named 2021 Big Sport of Turfdom Award winner

Trainer Brad Cox has joined a Who’s Who of racing personalities in being honored by the Turf Publicists of America (TPA) with their prestigious Big Sport of Turfdom Award for 2021.

Cox was selected for enhancing coverage of Thoroughbred racing through his cooperation with media and racing publicists.

“Brad’s generosity with his time, allowing his story, as well as his horses’ stories, to be shared with the fans of our sport is the epitome of what the award stands for,” said TPA president Wendy Davis in a release this week.

Cox won the Eclipse Award for outstanding trainer last year and leads all trainers again this year in stable earnings in what has been another highly accomplished year for the 41-year-old native of Louisville, Ky.

“I am honored to receive this award,” Cox said. “It is especially meaningful given the list of previous winners.”

Previous honorees of the Big Sport of Turfdom Award, which dates to 1966, include Hall of Fame trainers such as D. Wayne Lukas and Jack Van Berg, as well as many top jockeys and other racing celebrities such as Penny Chenery, Joe Hirsch, Tom Durkin, Jim McKay, Tim Conway, and Jack Klugman.

The award will be presented Dec. 7 to Cox at the University of Arizona Race Track Industry Program’s annual awards luncheon, part of the 2021 Symposium on Racing & Gaming in Tucson, Ariz. Because the symposium was not held last year due to the pandemic, the 2020 Big Sport winner, trainer Tom Amoss, will be honored at the same time.