Phillip Cox taking a nice snap

By Jordan Gerrans

Popular Toowoomba conditioner Phillip Cox continues to be amazed by his stable star Take A Picture.

The son of Exosphere was seriously injured before he ever made it to the races back in 2022 and the 78-year-old trainer thought the gelding would not get to a debut effort.

He did get to the races and has gone on to tally five victories, including a triumph in town on a Saturday back in the middle of September last year. 

It was always Cox’s ambition to claim a city race with Take A Picture after all his initial setbacks. 

And, now he has one metropolitan winner on the seven-year-old's resume, he is dreaming of doubling up and grabbing another. 

“He is the most beautiful animal,” the veteran trainer said.

“He is the best horse I have ever had with the most beautiful nature. He never does anything wrong and is just a dream.”

With only 26 career starts to his name as a seven-year-old, Take A Picture tuned up for his next city assignment with a dominant win on his home deck at Clifford Park on Saturday evening. 

With promising young apprentice Olivia Webb in the saddle, Take A Picture went on to score by almost two lengths in Benchmark 70 company over 1300 metres.

The gelding had not been at the races since late September of last year, so it was an outstanding training effort for Cox to have his stable star fit and able to win after his freshen-up. 

Cox says while it looks like Take A Picture had a spell in the paddock during the later months of 2025, he actually did not. 

He remained in work throughout and the trainer was halted by rain and other setbacks in finding the gelding a suitable assignment. 

“He was very good in his win on Saturday night at Toowoomba and it was the same in Brisbane that day, he won that pretty well, as well,” he said.

“They are hard races to win those No Metro Wins ones in town.

“He tries so hard, I have never had a horse like him that tries every time.”

After already achieving his ambition to win a city race with Take A Picture, the well-liked Darling Downs mentor will take his gelding to Doomben on Magic Millions day in a Class 5 Plate over 1350 metres.

Cox reflects that it was a monumental milestone to even get Take A Picture to the races for his maiden assignment all those years ago after he ran into a post as a young horse. 

“I had him here at my place for about five or six months,” he said.

“I didn’t think he would ever get to the races.

“We eventually brought him into work and we nursed him along slowly.  He has come good and got over it all.”

Take A Picture is Cox’s current stable flag bearer at the moment, but he has a long way to go to topple the trainer's best horse he has ever prepared. 

The Cox stable enjoyed a magical run with former gelding Secrets Untold who won 13 races and placed on 18 more occasions.

Secrets Untold campaigned at Listed and Group throughout his career with his racing highlight claiming the Recognition Stakes back in 2009. 

He prepared a team as large as 10 in the old days.

Cox works a small team of three in 2026 and is optimistic about unraced youngster Comin'hometoyou.

The three-year-old gelding is yet to have an official trial, but the experienced trainer is hopeful he will debut next month at Toowoomba.