Cox wins 3,000th race in first race at Belmont

Eclipse Award-winning trainer Brad Cox won his 3,000th race Friday when Very Clever captured the first race at Belmont Park.

Cox, 46, is the 26th trainer in North American to reach 3,000 winners, following Wayne Catalano, who reached the milestone in July. Catalano, however, began training in 1983, where Cox had his first runners in 2004. Cox’s first 100-win year didn’t come until 2016, when he saddled 151 winners, and since that season, Cox has won at least 200 races per year, topping out at 277 in 2025.

Cox ranks eighth all time in training earnings, with more than $254 million, and his career strike rate, 26 percent, is the highest among the top 100 trainers in terms of wins and earnings.

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