Clive Cox: My Horses to Follow this Season
By Racing TV
Last Updated: Thu 10 Apr 2025
By Graham Clark
has built a reputation as being one of the best in the business at training sprinters, but he is anything but one dimensional.
Since joining the training ranks in the 1990s, the former jumps jockey has nurtured the likes of Harry Angel, Lethal Force and Profitable into Group One sprinters.
And with 2023 July Stakes hero and last year’s Temple Stakes winner among his team this year, alongside a host of three-year-old sprinters yet to reach their full potential, further top-level success in that division could head his way as the season progresses.
But is not all about the need for speed for Cox, with last year’s 2000 Guineas and French Derby fourth holding a host of big-race middle-distance entries.
While not putting the pressure on his two-year-old eam at this early stage of the season, Cox admits they are an “exciting” crop, which adds further intrigue to a team that already boasts a considerable amount of talent.
Cox said: “We were £40,000 short of winning £2million in prize-money across the board last season, which was a huge achievement.
“We’ve got a good team here that works really hard, and we have good support with good-quality horses, which is what everybody wants.
“Ghostwriter ran a fantastic race in the Dubai Turf which hopefully can be the springboard to a solid season, whilst we are very well-supported in the three-year-old sprinting division.
“We are very happy we have got another exciting bunch of two-year-olds with nice pedigrees that are good, strong-looking horses.
“Hopefully as the season starts to get into gear properly, we will see them come to the fore.”
Clive Cox: My Horses to Follow this Season
ADDISON GREY
“He was a breeze-up horse, but he was very backwards and he suffered with sore shins. It just took a while for everything to settle down so he came in late.
“He was very good at Southwell. He kept growing and developing so we gave him a bit of a break after he won there rather than keeping on going.
“I think that will bear fruits throughout the summer. He is by Havana Grey out of a Lethal Force mare which is very interesting as I think that is proving a very positive ingredient.
“I like the way he has developed since then. He will be pitched in somewhere small next and we will just build blocks with him.”
ARABIAN SUN
“He is a Saxon Warrior horse that won first time up at Windsor. I like him a lot, but he had a bit of a hold-up at the end of last season. However, he is moving well and I like his attitude.
“Hopefully he can build on that bit of promise he showed last year. We gelded him after the Vintage Stakes, but he was a horse we liked enough to run at that level at that stage of his career.
“He is off a mark of 88 and he will start life off in handicaps, but I’m looking forward to a productive year with him as he is a nice horse. I think seven furlongs is where he will be best helped.”
APARAJEO
“He is a nice horse and I do really like him. He had a hold-up at the end of last year, but we are very pleased with the way he is moving now.
“He ran in the Richmond last year, but sadly he got an injury and just needed that time out.
“He was highly enough tried last year, but he is rated 86 and is definitely one for the handicap route to begin with.
“Hopefully we can build back to where our thoughts were with him last year. He has done very well physically.”
DEFINITIVE
“She won nicely at Haydock Park first time out where she stayed over on the far side of the track that day as we felt it was a good place to be.
“She then ran, and was not beaten far, in the Princess Margaret, before running in the Rockfel on her final start of the season.
“She is a filly that didn’t quite come to her coat as quickly as the rest of them, so we are not quite sure on a target for her yet, but I’m happy. She is a nice filly.
“I would be hopeful she has got a nice profile to go forwards with, but she has just taken her time coming to herself this spring.”
DILIGENTLY
“His owner, Jason Goddard, enjoyed great success with Supremacy, but we are very sweet on this one especially as he is by Harry Angel.
“He has done well over the winter and, whilst he was a maiden when he won that big sales race up at York last year, it wasn’t a shock at all.
“He didn’t like the soft ground at Newbury having run promisingly at Ascot first time out.
“Going down the handicap route will be for him at the moment off his mark of 86, as will the three-year-old-only route.
“He has matured visibly and he is a lot stronger than last year. He is only a couple of steps away from a different approach to his races.
“He wasn’t over-raced last year to jeopardise any progressive steps this year so I hope he can do that. But, as is always the case, he needs to go prove that.”
DILIGENT HARRY
“He has still not won on the turf, but he ran a blinder in the Duke of York last year and in the Al Quoz.
“He didn’t quite come to the boil with the same relish as he did this time last year so we found ourselves looking to qualify him for All-Weather Finals Day.
“He has won at Newcastle before and I’m very happy with him. He was beaten by a well-handicapped horse of Jack Channon’s (Ferrous) the other day, but that will have a penalty in the final.
“He is well exposed, but he is in good form and clearly that was a good run at Southwell the other day, giving lumps of weight away.
“He is a good horse and he is coming back to the boil properly.”
DRAGON LEADER
“He was spectacular at two, but the thing was he was so well treated at two because of his median price and he qualified perfectly with every race in mind.
“When he was two he was a little bit naughty in the stalls and we concentrated more on that more than having a fine edge on him.
“He bolted up first time out and then continued on with that success that season. He was primed to do well at two.
“I think he will get a mile and he has had a wind op. He is in the Spring Cup at Newbury on Saturday off a rating of 90 and he will love the ground there.
“He actually ran really well in the Britannia last year, but we didn’t mean to make that much use of him that day, but he stuck at it.
“I hope we can see him back in winning form this season with the promise he showed at two.
“We will take it step by step with him this year to build his confidence back up.
“We are on a bit of a recovery mission, but hopefully we can rebuild those dreams we had with him as a two-year-old.”
FAST TIME HARRY
“He won first-time out at Newbury and we had three two-year-old winners that day. The ground was too soft for him at Doncaster after that.
“He has done very well over the winter, but he has just taken his time to get together and he is still not quite 100 percent fit as he is quite a big colt.”
FEARNOT
“He won first time out after showing signs of greenness early on in the race, but he finished off really well and he was then only just beaten under a penalty next time out.
“I wasn’t surprised he won first time out, but I was pleased to see him win under the circumstances.
“They went very fast and he was a little bit lost early on, but he gathered himself up well to win.
“Hopefully he will keep building as he has a nice pedigree. He has done nothing wrong as getting touched off under a penalty is a pretty good shout.
“He has raced in a hood both times as he was just a little bit hot, but I’m happy that his confidence is building.”
GOOD BANTER
“The plan is to take him to the All-Weather Finals Day. He won a couple of times on the all-weather at the backend of last season having finished a good second on his debut at Salisbury.
“He seems to like the all-weather, and as he is rated 91, and with the race being a handicap, hopefully he can be in the mix.”
GHOSTWRITER
“He is a horse that has visibly matured physically and, not only that, mentally. I was so pleased with how he was able to journey over to Dubai.
“With long journeys like that they essentially need to be professional and he wouldn’t have essentially done that last year, but he took it in his stride with the experience he is gaining.
“He ran competitively in the 2000 Guineas and then we stepped him up in trip for the French Derby. He did, on a few occasions, hit a bit of a flat spot a furlong out.
“I really thought he came there with a winning chance for a moment in the Eclipse, but he ran consistently all season.
“He is so much stronger this year and I think we can explore going a bit further in trip with him.
“On the back of what we saw in Dubai, which was over nine furlongs, I think from a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half will be possible.
“He only arrived back with us on Monday, but he has travelled back really well. He is in the Tattersalls Gold Cup, which is at the end of May, which gives him a healthy time frame so that is a possibility, but we are going to open our eyes to looking a bit further as well.
“The Tattersalls Gold Cup is over a good, stiff track at the Curragh and that would suit him well and, as you can see, travelling is not a worry any more.
“I think he is quite versatile regarding the ground although I think he is a better horse on better ground. It was a massive run to be beaten just over two lengths in the Dubai Turf.
“I really hope this year can be his year as he has matured more physically and mentally. I don’t think we could have seen a better-behaved horse in the build-up to Dubai.”
HARRY THREE
“He has got new owners, but I was a little bit surprised when no one came to buy him at the horses-in-training sale. He is a horse that we have always liked a lot, but he did have a bit of a tweak on a pelvis.
“He is very able and he was very good in France when he won his Listed race. I’m pleased he is still on the team.
“He was drawn out of it in the Wokingham last year and it was a bit of a non-starter, really. He is on a recovery mission, there is no two ways about it, but he has got that talent and form in the book that we can rebuild him.
“We just need to get his confidence back, but on his best form he will be a horse that will have some entries in those nice handicaps.”
HOLD A DREAM
“She is a lovely filly that belongs to Jeff Smith. She won in a course-record time at Yarmouth when she made all. She is a nice, progressive filly and I’m looking forward to seeing her.
“She is one that won’t mind the quick ground. She has been given a mark of 85 and she has a very solid profile of runs behind her last year.
“There are a couple of handicaps out there for her, but I would prefer to keep her against her own age group. She is a filly that we would be hopeful can continue that upward curve.”
JAMES’S DELIGHT
“He is another one that does like a bit of ease in the ground. He had a fabulous year last year and he ran well enough in the Cammidge Trophy at Doncaster on his comeback
“It is nice that he has got that run under his belt. He has definitely become stronger over the winter, but he will definitely be sticking at six furlongs.
“He has an entry in the Duke of York and like some of those other sprinters he will have multiple entries at the highest level.
“He won his Listed race in France last year and was only just beaten in a Group Three there as well so without doubt there are options in France for him as he is well equipped for the travelling and some of them just thrive for it.
“I think if we have the right sort of conditions we would be brave enough to go all over with him, but with France generally watering more than the UK I would say especially going back to Deauville will be a possibility through the summer.
“We would be looking for a finale to have him in the Champions Day Sprint at Ascot as well.”
JASOUR
“Sadly, the end of the season didn’t finish as promisingly as the start of it. We have had a little wind operation with him.
“He didn’t quite finish off his race in the July Cup having travelled so eye-catchingly forwards. He was pulling quite hard as well, but I think that all relates back to what he was feeling himself.
“There is no doubt he is an extremely talented horse so I’m very hopeful that we can build a little bit of confidence in him and go back to the top level of sprinting that I believe he is more than capable of succeeding at.
“He was in early and he is just coming back to the boil nicely so if we can keep him going forwards the Duke of York is very much the hope. He looks even stronger and we will be targeting all the major sprints again.
“We did try him over five furlongs once last season, but it was at the end of the year and that didn’t really conclude whether that was a good idea or not. I think it was more his keenness that just took us that way.
“He has a stronger profile than he did last year, and off the back of what he showed as a two-year-old winning the July Stakes, I think we can build upon that.
“It is not a pipedream, it is a fact that he is a very good horse.”
KERDOS
“He is great and I do think he has strengthened physically like all those good sprinters do.
“Although he was successful over five in the Temple Stakes he won over six furlongs as a two-year-old.
“He clearly became more fine-tuned and productive over five furlongs, but I think we are going to look at going back over six furlongs with him.
“That gives us more choices and it gives us the ability to choose the best ground for him as he does love to get his toe in a bit and he shows that best form with a bit of moisture in the ground.
“If we have five and six furlongs on the radar we can mix between the two according to the ground."
“He is in the Duke of York, but he was the winner of the Temple last year so that is there as well.
“If we can run him on suitable conditions, I’ve every confidence he will be adding to that Group Two success last year.
“The Champions Sprint at Ascot is something we will definitely be working backwards from, but he is the sort of horse that is a joy to train and we just need to keep him happy.
“As long as he is happy and well we can have him entered up accordingly and give his owners some fun in the right races.”
REDORANGE
“He won well at Yarmouth and he has thrived over the winter. He has plenty of speed and he will start off in three-year-old handicaps. He could run over five or six furlongs as he has loads of speed.
“There is a three-year-old, six-furlong handicap at Newmarket next week, but there is also a five-furlong one at Sandown Park, which is probably just as likely if the ground is okay.
“I’m happy with what I’m seeing with his work at the moment.”
SHAMEFUL
“He is a belter and he is what you call a proper horse. He has been gelded since he finished second at Kempton the other day.
“He is over 550kg and if he was to get much heavier than that he wouldn’t be able to do it when he comes off the bridle.
“He is a horse that we like an awful lot, but he has got a mark of 83. He is a horse to remember in six months’ time when you look back at what clues he was giving.
“His brother has done well for Ger Lyons in Ireland. He is a horse that we are excited about, and I think this is the right approach to have gone with him.
“He showed lots of promise first time out, but I think he was beaten by another nice horse of Andrew Balding’s the other day.
“His brother has done well over six furlongs, but I would say he will get a mile no problem.”
SKY ADVOCATE
“He has grown well over the winter. He is still a maiden, but he was only just touched off a couple of times on the all-weather at the backend of the year.
“He has been gelded since his last run. He is on a mark of 87, but I would like to think he is up to getting his head in front this year.”
STAR ANTHEM
“He would appreciate a little bit of give in the ground. He is one I wouldn’t be running on firm ground. We won’t be going back to six furlongs with him.
“There is a seven-furlong handicap at Newmarket next week which is a possibility for him and hopefully the weather will start to break on Sunday.
“He was a very strong two-year-old that has done well over the winter. He can confirm that rating of 103 and we will try and help him in the right direction with conditions.
“I really hope it can be a springboard back into Group races. He is a keen, free-going kind of horse at home, but he is pretty straightforward.
“We have had a good build-up. He could have had an entry in a trial if it was soft, but we will just have to bide our time.”
STUDY UP
“He won on his only start at Salisbury last year, but he had a setback after that.
“Hopefully with the way the ground is he will go to Kempton Park later this month for a novice event.
“It has been a long time since he has run so a race like that will be helpful for him and we can then keep building on that. I will just be pleased to see him back in action.”
THE DRAGON KING
“He did amazingly well to win the big sales race on the Rowley Mile last year. He came from an impossible position to win that day and William Buick did an amazing job on him.
“He has been gelded over the winter. He was slowly away at Newmarket and I think he was probably focused on the filly next to him so we felt gelding him would be a help.
“He is more versatile, ground-wise, and he would go on a quicker surface. I like the way he is training and he is feeling well. I’m very happy that he has done extremely well and he is another nice horse for Middleham Park.
“With the three-year-olds, especially those sprinting, I feel it is important that they stick in their own age group to start with, purely from a strength perspective.
“I’m really happy that he has done well and grown enough to make his presence felt this year. I think he can take that next step forward.
“He wears his heart on his sleeve and what you see is what you get. He is a 92-rated horse and he was one that I loved as a yearling.
“I’m pleased that he has followed up on that promise.”
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