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About Clive Cox

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Since beginning his training career within the sport of flat racing, Clive Cox has endeavoured to make his mark and since 1999 he has gone on to establish himself as one of Britain's leading trainers, with a reputable string of thoroughbreds. A formidable record with training precocious sprinters - typically producing those bought more shrewdly - Clive is equally at home nurturing talented Group 1 winning two-year-olds, as he is planning and landing prominent handicap wins. 

Formerly a National Hunt jockey, Clive rode to a succession of nearly 100 winners in the saddle before taking the reigns as Assistant Trainer for the late Mikie Heaton-Ellis. Together the pair trained at Barbury Castle, in the heart of Wiltshire, until the year of 1999 which tragically saw the passing of Mikie. Following footsteps, Clive then took out his own training license to lead the yard.

In 2000, the dawn of the millennium brought pastures anew for Clive and his team who moved to Lambourn that Spring placing roots at Beechdown Stables, owned by former National Hunt Champion and racing broadcaster, John Francome. Fast forward 20 years, and Clive’s proven aptitude for training thoroughbreds has seen him stable a myriad of success stories; from precocious sprinters, to remarkable Group winners and Royal Ascot champions.  

2003 saw Cox’s Royal Ascot debut with the triumphant win of New Seeker in the Britannia Stakes Handicap. Beechdown Stables then celebrated their first taste of a Group One winner that came in the form of Gilt Edge Girl, winning the Prix De L’Abbaye at Longchamp in 2010, and names such as Reckless Abandon, Profitable and My Dreamboat have since followed suit, all with tremendous winning performances at Royal Ascot once again. Lethal Force, a particular stable star favourite, added further to the stream of success from the Royal meeting before a record-breaking achievement with his 2013 win at Newmarket in the July Cup; an impressive accolade which, to this day, remains to be unbeaten.

Another of Clive’s recognised accomplishments was the incredibly talented Harry Angel - a globally acknowledged powerhouse of a sprinter, known also for his course record breaking capabilities over a number of Group One successes - previously owned by Peter Ridgers, before later bringing home further success under the famous Godolphin blue silks.

In 2020, Clive proudly celebrated his ninth Royal Ascot win and tenth Group One success combined, with the pulse storming victory of Golden Horde in the Commonwealth Cup. The already unforgettable 2020 meeting was made all the more memorable when Nando Parrado went on to win the iconic two-year-old colts Group Two Coventry Stakes the following day, awarding Cox with his second Royal Ascot double, at a staggering 150-1. ​

As someone who favours quality over quantity, Clive's training record is an admirable reminder that although saddling a smaller yard to those wider strings of the classic and championship contenders, he is every bit as capable through his dedicated horsemanship, individualistic approach and eye for talent. 

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