Cox has been left stranded on 499 wins in the sulky for almost a month, but has a serious chance of bringing up his 500th career victory with five drives on tonight's card.
Punters could be thinking Cox's best chance to salute the judge for the 500th time will come for trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen aboard Zion Bromac in race 7.
The prospect of bringing up a milestone win in the colours of blue with silver stars is something that a fresh-faced Cox would not have believed after he had driven his first winner, the Tony Barron-trained Godet, back in 2002.
''It's a great thrill to pull those colours on. They are pretty famous colours. It is just great to be part of the team of the moment,'' he said.
Since his first win, the trainer-driver successfully established himself in Southland and Otago, then Canterbury, and had an Auckland stint in between.
In the latest of those shifts, Cox left Otago and a successful training partnership with Amber Hoffman, during which time he had his best season in the sulky.
The chance to further his driving career and establish himself on the highly competitive Canterbury scene lured him away.
''Amber and I trained a lot of winners our first season together [2014-15], but I wanted to do a bit of driving as well and Canterbury is where it's at.
''I had been up there a few times and got a few contacts. You take a chance sometimes and it pays off.
'''Coaster' [John] Howe has been great to me since I moved. He has given me a lot of drives and a lot of winners.''
Cox was able to link with the leading All Stars stable more than a year ago when it was on the lookout for more staff.
He now spends his mornings driving some of the country's fastest horses and juggles trials and workouts commitments and training his own team later in the day.
Though Zion Bromac has strong trials form, it is not a case of the horse just turning up and winning, as so many of his stablemates do.
''This horse is still learning, but the way he has been trialling he has been getting better each time he steps out and he was quite nice at the trials last week when he qualified,'' Cox said.
''There are probably two of three with the right run that are going to be hard to beat.
''I have seen Karmic Way go a couple of times and he looks a nice horse, and Spondoolicks is an honest horse.''
Cox will have three drives before he hops into the sulky behind Zion Bromac, starting with the Michael House-trained Port Delight in race 1.
''She trialled up all right a couple of weeks ago at Ashburton and if she takes natural improvement out of that and got the right run she could be a first-four player.''
Rum In The Sun brings consistent form to a race 2 field comprising mostly out-of-form trotters.
''It is just a shame he is off the unruly [mark] because he has galloped his last couple of mobiles, but it is safer to put him there. He is racing pretty well at the moment. He should put in a pretty solid performance - should go close.''
Cox trains and drives both Its All Over, who he thinks will improve further with her fresh-up run in race 6, and Franco Saxon, who has a tricky barrier position of 12 in race 9.
''But he does go well fresh. He won at Forbury fresh-up last season and if he got the right run he would be thereabouts,'' Cox said of Franco Saxon.
Whether it is in the All Stars colours, his own silks or those of another trainer, Cox is not fussy about how he brings up 500 so long as he can get there.
''I will take any of them. I have a few nice drives, but I have thought that before and come up short.''
Veteran reinsman Colin de Filippi goes into the meeting on 1999 career driving wins in New Zealand. He has six drives tonight.
