KY 2025 win leaders: Cox (104), Jose Ortiz (152), Godolphin (52)
Click here to see Kentucky’s overall 2025 owner, trainer, jockey standings from Equibase
Brad Cox will be this week’s featured guest on Kentucky Racing Spotlight with Louie Rabaut, presented by the Kentucky HBPA, this Friday 6-7p ET on ESPN 680/105.9, streaming www.espnlouisville.com and the ESPN Louisville app.
Kentucky HBPA media release (Coady Media/Renee Torbit photo above of trainer Brad Cox after Godolphin’s Good Cheer won the 2025 Kentucky Oaks
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026) — More escalating evidence of the increasing strength of the year-round Kentucky circuit: The composite win leaders for 2025 at the commonwealth’s five thoroughbred tracks are some of the biggest names in the world: owner Godolphin (52 wins), trainer Brad Cox (104) and jockey Jose Ortiz (152), who moved his family to the Kentucky in the spring of 2024.
The 2025 combined standings for Turfway Park, Keeneland, Churchill Downs, Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs were produced for the Kentucky HBPA by Equibase Co., the industry’s official data-keeper. Godolphin, Cox and Ortiz’s Kentucky titles will be honored on March 21 during Turfway Park’s showcase Jeff Ruby Steaks card.
Ortiz finished last year with 152 Kentucky wins, 22 more than Irad Ortiz Jr., who followed his brother in making the commonwealth his spring and fall base as well as his home. Jose Ortiz also was the state’s overall earnings leader at $18,769,037 ($772,519 more than Irad), including dominating Churchill Downs’ spring-meet title with 63 victories.
Cox, a lifelong Louisvillian who is a finalist to win a third Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding trainer, ran away with the overall Kentucky training title with 104 victories, 27 more than Brendan Walsh. They also finished 1-2 in Kentucky purse earnings, with Cox at $15,144,055 and Walsh at $10,495,020. Cox was the leading trainer at Churchill Downs (September and fall), Keeneland (spring in a tie with Walsh and fall) and Kentucky Downs.
Last year Cox finished in a dead heat for the Kentucky crown at 96 victories with Steve Asmussen, North America’s all-time win leader.
Godolphin — the favorite to win a record sixth straight and eighth overall Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding owner — repeated as the winningest owner in Kentucky with 52 victories out of 206 starts, dwarfing the 22 wins of runner-up Jacobson Racing. Exactly half of Godolphin’s 104 North American wins came in Kentucky, highlighted by sweeping the Kentucky Oaks with the Cox-trained Good Cheer and the Kentucky Derby with the Bill Mott-trained Sovereignty.
Godolphin was leading owner at Turfway Park (holiday and winter), Churchill Downs (spring and fall), Ellis Park and Kentucky Downs. The operation’s $11,073,625 in purses dwarfed the competition, with Calumet Farm second at $2.9 million. Last year Godolphin won 45 races and almost $7.2 million in purses.
Luan Machado — based year-round in Kentucky and the 2024 leader with 142 wins — finished third in 2025 wins at 123. A total of 23 jockeys earned purses of more than $3 million last year in the state, while 29 won at least 22 races in Kentucky. Overall, 25 trainers saw their Kentucky horses earn more than $2.46 million in purses, while 44 won at least 12 races.
The top 25 ownership entities earned more than $1.1 million apiece in purses, while 97 owners won at least four races in Kentucky in 2025.
“The big difference the past couple of years is the rise of Ellis Park and Turfway Park, with their overnight purses as good as anywhere else in the country or better,” said Kentucky HBPA executive director Alex Foley. “Congrats to Godolphin, Brad and Jose for huge years. Such big names at the top of Kentucky racing have become the norm. As importantly is the strength of those below them in the standings. So we’re just as thrilled to see guys based year-round in Kentucky such as John Ennis and Tommy Drury having their barns run out a couple of million dollars in purses. While the competition is fierce, Kentucky is spreading the wealth.”
