Sharp repeats Churchill spring training title

A Kentucky HBPA news feature (Coady Media photo above of Joe Sharp being presented the leading trainer award for Churchill Downs’ 2026 spring meet)

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Monday, June 29, 2026) — Dust off the “He’s Sharp” and “Sharpshooter” puns. 

Joe Sharp repeated as the winningest trainer at the Churchill Downs spring meet that concluded Sunday, once again having to hold off a challenge from Brad Cox to finish with a 27-26 edge.

“It was a great meet,” Sharp said by phone Monday morning from Keeneland, where he has a string of horses. “A lot of horses showed up when we needed them to. Owners allowed us to run in the right spots. The thing about the purse structure in Kentucky, you’re willing to maybe run a horse for a little lower than what it might be worth, with the caveat that the purse is so good that if you win, you’re getting a lot of money for your investment. That can help you be competitive in spots when you’re going for a training title.”

Sharp sent out 144 horses for a 19-percent win clip from his stable dominated by allowance, maiden and claiming horses with stakes horses sprinkled throughout. His 20 seconds were second-highest at the meet, while his 22 thirds were the tops as his horses accrued $1,962,183 in purses.

A year ago, the Louisville-based Sharp won his first Churchill title 20-19 over Cox.

“Brad’s always a fierce competitor,” Sharp said. “He’s a phenomenal trainer, so it’s flattering to even be running against guys like him and Steve Asmussen. To be able to finish ahead for the title like the Churchill spring meet is a special experience and something we obviously worked hard for.”

The 10-time titlist Cox had a huge meet as well, his seven stakes victories including Saturday’s Grade 2 Fleur de Lis with Godolphin’s 2024 2-year-old filly champion Immersive and Sunday’s Grade 3 Maxfield with Juddmonte’s Deep Flame that pulled him within one of Sharp. Cox had horses in the meet’s final two races but did not win.

The trainer title continued Sharp’s big year — actually big two years. He also won his second straight meet crown at the Fair Grounds, his main winter base in New Orleans, 47-31 over Bret Calhoun, Sharp’s stepfather. He won the 2024-2025 Fair Grounds title, 40-31, over Cox.

“I wasn’t shy about what our intention was,” Sharp said. “I like to run hard at the Fair Grounds, get everybody up here, get them settled and then focus on Churchill. We had a good Keeneland (five wins), don’t get me wrong. But Churchill was always the goal, and it’s nice when it comes to fruition.”

Asmussen, Churchill Downs and North America’s all-time win leader, topped all trainer purse earnings at $4,067,876 out of a meet-leading 147 starters, headed by Winchell Thoroughbreds’ Dubai World Cup winner Magnitude taking Saturday’s $2 million, Grade 1 Stephen Foster.

Sharp began shipping horses Monday morning to Saratoga for the summer but said he’ll have a considerable presence at Ellis Park, the Henderson, Ky., track that opens Thursday.

Sharp to be more active at Ellis Park than past summers

“We will definitely be more active at Ellis this year than ever before,” said Sharp, who has three horses entered for opening day. “We’re going to keep a large number of horses in Kentucky over the summer. Ellis’ purse structure deserves it. It makes sense with a lot of these horses to stay close to home and try and focus on that meet and the money they’re giving away down there.”

The stable’s main goal for late summer remains the huge money at Kentucky Downs, where Sharp tied for the 2024 training title. Another objective is to be well-represented when the Claiming Crown — which showcases claiming horses — returns to Churchill Downs on Nov. 14.

“You’re always trying to improve quality,” Sharp said. “We do have a pretty good blended group of horses. This year we’ve gotten more 2-year-olds and a higher quality group of 2-year-olds than we ever have had.… I like all kinds and have had success with all kinds. I just like every opportunity to get a good horse in our barn, and we just try to figure out what we can do with each one. I don’t ever want to put myself in a box as being more geared toward one type or the other. But I also won’t sit around and just expect horses to come to me. I always try to get out there and figure out a way to get good horses in the barn, whether that’s claiming or going to sales.”

Irad Ortiz Jr., who last September relocated to a Kentucky-based spring and fall circuit, easily won his first Churchill Downs spring title, 63-50, over his brother, Jose Ortiz. But Jose romped to finish first in purse earnings at $11,273,369, which reflected triumphs in the meet’s three biggest races: the $5 million Kentucky Derby with Golden Tempo, $1.5 million Kentucky Oaks with Always a Runner and the Stephen Foster on Magnitude. Irad Ortiz finished second in earnings at $8,883,313.

Irad Ortiz also won last fall’s Churchill riding title.

Jose Ortiz moved his family to Kentucky two years ago after making New York his home, promptly tying Gaffalione for Churchill’s 2024 spring title and winning it outright last year. Ortiz also switched his winter base from Florida to the Fair Grounds, where he was Sharp’s go-to guy and ran away with the riding title both years. Jose Ortiz and Sharp have a personal relationship as well as a business. They are neighbors in Simpsonville, Ky., and their kids ride horses together. Sharp, who is married to former champion jockey Rosie Napravnik, also employs Ortiz’s wife, former jockey Taylor Rice Ortiz, as an exercise rider during the summer at Saratoga.

Trainer David Jacobson, who owns many of his horses, won Churchill’s spring owner’s title with eight wins out of 51 starters, one more than Juddmonte, which ran 19 horses. Jacobson also was the leading owner at the 2025 September meet.

From Equibase statistics: Seventeen trainers ran out purse earnings of at least $1 million at the Churchill spring meet. Twenty-one trainers won at least six races while 73 trainers won at least twice. Sixteen jockeys ran out at least $1 million in purses during the meet; 15 won at least 10 races and 36 at least two. Twenty individual owners or partnership combinations earned at least $500,000 in purses, while 57 won at least two races.

Thoroughbred racing in Kentucky shifts west to Ellis Park for the 25-day summer season that begins Thursday. The annual Kentucky HBPA College Day will be Sunday, Aug. 9, which also features six stakes highlighted by the $400,000 Ellis Park Derby.

Story by Jennie Rees, Kentucky HBPA communications

Check out the Kentucky HBPA Youtube channel for video from Churchill Downs’ closing weekend, including Saturday’s Grade 1 Stephen Foster and Corey Lanerie’s last ride Sunday. More stakes photos from the weekend still to be posted.