1 Brad H. Cox 86 — 20 24 8 $684,180 23% 60% —
2 Joe Sharp 111 — 20 15 14 $567,130 18% 44% —
3 Steven M. Asmussen 60 — 16 12 8 $508,800 27% 60% —
4 Michael Stidham 67 — 12 10 11 $410,945 18% 49% —
5 Dallas Stewart 29 — 7 6 2 $333,750 24% 52% —
6 Albert M. Stall, Jr. 56 — 5 16 6 $322,670 9% 48% —
7 Ron Faucheux 44 — 13 2 10 $286,000 30% 57% —
8 Mark E. Casse 29 — 8 4 5 $273,370 28% 59% —
9 Gary M. Scherer 36 — 8 3 6 $252,990 22% 47% —
10 Thomas M. Amoss 48 — 10 11 3 $250,800 21% 50% —
11 Chris A. Hartman 55 — 9 10 10 $236,920 16% 53% —
12 Wayne M. Catalano 29 — 6 8 2 $202,300 21% 55% —
13 Brendan P. Walsh 27 — 4 7 2 $188,730 15% 48% —
14 W. Bret Calhoun 56 — 3 7 6 $172,390 5% 29% —
15 Hugh H. Robertson 22 — 4 3 5 $167,910 18% 55% —
16 J. Larry Jones 23 — 5 1 4 $167,310 22% 43% —
17 Bernard S. Flint 17 — 6 1 2 $162,570 35% 53% —
18 Sam B. David, Jr. 38 — 6 10 1 $154,530 16% 45% —
19 Karl Broberg 47 — 7 7 6 $144,160 15% 43% —
20 James E. Hodges 32 — 5 7 4 $137,110 16% 50% —
21 Steven B. Flint 31 — 7 2 2 $134,080 23% 35% —
22 Louie J. Roussel, III 21 — 5 5 3 $133,910 24% 62% —
23 Edward J. Johnston 21 — 3 5 4 $125,630 14% 57% —
24 Neil L. Pessin 16 — 2 2 5 $110,470 13% 56% —
25 Delmar R. Caldwell 24 — 6 2 4 $107,610 25% 50% —

(Stats compiled by Equibase)

It is now a dead heat.

The duel between talented young trainers Joe Sharp and Brad Cox is down deadlocked.

Sharp has 20 wins in 111 starters so far this meet at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

Cox has 20 wins in 86 starters so far this meet at the Fair Grounds in New Orleans.

And, it promises to be an exciting race to the finish — which will not come until March.

In addition to his 20 wins, Cox also has 24 seconds and 8 thirds, and sits atop of the standings in the category of purses won — with over $684,000 tabulated so far.

Sharp, on the other hand, has 15 seconds and 14 thirds and is second in the “money earned” category with over $567,000 on his ledger.

Four wins farther back and now alone in third place in the trainer’s rankings is Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who has put up a record of 16-12–8 in just 60 starts. His barn has earned more than $508,000 in purses.

Promises to be an exciting run. For both the horses. And, the trainers.

(Trainers Joe Sharp, left, and Brad Cox are tied with 20 wins apiece to lead the Trainer Standings at the current Fair Grounds meet / Hodges Photography & Courtesy of the Fair Grounds)