LOUISVILLE, Ky - The 147th Kentucky Derby was barely 10 minutes old and Brad Cox, whose runners Mandaloun and Essential Quality finished second and fourth, respectively, in what was the trainer’s first appearance in the race, was already looking forward to next year. “Can’t wait to be back here,” Cox said. “We’ll be back, too. Promise.” Cox, who grew up two blocks from Churchill Downs, was dealing with the disappointment of coming so close to winning his first Derby and of being delighted with how well his horses performed. Mandaloun was beaten a half-length. Essential Quality, last year’s 2-year-old champion who was undefeated coming in and went off as the 5-2 Derby favorite, was beaten one length. “They both were ready to run and showed up,” Cox said. “I was proud of both horses.” :: Join DRF Bets and get ready to watch and wager on the Preakness with a $250 first deposit bonus  Essential Quality, breaking from post 14 under Luis Saez, bumped with Rock Your World coming out of the gate. A quarter-mile into the race, Essential Quality was sixth, 3 1/2 lengths off Medina Spirit through the opening quarter. Cox felt Saez got Essential Quality into a decent position, albeit a bit wide. He continued on wide into and around the turn and, though he kept coming in the lane, he appeared to flatten out some. “Luis made the comment he was leaning out a little and it cost him,” Cox said. “He really felt like he would have gotten there if he had been a little more focused going forward. That’s nothing he’s really done before.” Mandaloun, who went off at 26-1 coming off an inexplicably bad race when sixth in the Louisiana Derby, was an up-close third and appeared to be tugging on Florent Geroux. At the three-eighths pole, Geroux got Mandaloun off the rail and to the outside of Medina Spirit. Mandaloun got on even terms with Medina Spirit and inside the eighth pole it looked like he would get by, but came up short. “I really thought he was going to get by there for a minute,” Cox said. “The last little bit he got a little tired late. He’s a nice colt. We knew it was a big step up from his last race. We knew that wasn’t him in his last race.” Cox didn’t rule out running Essential Quality and/or Mandaloun back in the Preakness on May 15. He said he would evaluate each colt over the next week or two before making a decision. Noting that progeny of Tapit have had recent success in the Belmont Stakes, Cox said he could also point Essential Quality - a son of Tapit - in that direction, adding that he doesn’t think Essential Quality is limited by distance. :: Get Daily Racing Form past performances, featuring exclusive Beyer Speed Figures - the gold standard in horse racing  “I’ve never felt that, I really have not,” Cox said. “I think wide trip and not the greatest start were probably the factors of him not getting a better placing.” Cox, 41, spoke while leaning up against the rail about a furlong past the Churchill finish line. A few hundred yards away, Bob Baffert was in the winner’s circle hoisting his record-setting seventh Kentucky Derby trophy. Cox, who last year won an Eclipse Award as champion trainer, was asked if he could ever imagine a trainer winning seven Derbies. “Yeah, me,” Cox said. “I believe that. We’ll see what happens.”