Chelsea Durand Photo

North American record-holder Cogburn back in action in G2 Troy

by Mary Eddy

Clark Brewster, William Heiligbrodt and Corinne Heiligbrodt’s record-smashing Cogburn returns to the scene of his enthralling Grade 1 Jaipur presented by Resolute Racing score to take on 10 rivals in Saturday’s Grade 2, $300,000 Troy, a 5 1/2-furlong Mellon turf sprint for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, the speedy son of Not This Time captured this event last year [then a Grade 3] to rise to the top of his division, but finished fifth in the Grade 2 Turf Sprint at Kentucky Downs one month later to close out his season. This year, the bay is back in search of a title defense and appears to be stronger than ever on the heels of a North American record-setting score in the 5 1/2-furlong Jaipur on June 8.

“We felt he was going to run his best race to date, but a record was significant in so many ways,” Asmussen said of the Jaipur. “Saratoga makes everything special.”

Cogburn entered the Jaipur off a successful seasonal bow in the Grade 2 Turf Sprint on May 4 at Churchill Downs, where he made his first start with Irad Ortiz, Jr. aboard.

The five-time Eclipse Award-winning jockey returned to the irons for the Jaipur and sent Cogburn to lead through sharp splits of 21.33 seconds and 43.07 over the firm footing. Coppola attempted to make headway at the top of the lane, but Cogburn ran the competition off their feet and coasted down the stretch to cross the wire 3 1/2 lengths in front in a final time of 59.80, a Mellon turf course and North American record. He earned a career and field-best 111 Beyer Speed Figure in victory.

Cogburn was proficient as a dirt sprinter for the first eight starts of his career, finishing second in both the Listed Bachelor at Oaklawn Park and Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico Race Course. However, the 5-year-old horse found an entirely new dimension when switched to the turf last May, winning 5-of-6 grass starts and posting three triple-digit Beyers over the lawn.

“We’re extremely excited about him and how he’s doing. He’s just a very fast horse,” said Asmussen. “Last year when we moved him to the turf, it brought him to a new level, We felt with the lucrative turf races not being until late summer, we’d give him a nice break. He came back better than he left, and we are very excited to run him again.”

Cogburn has trained over Saratoga’s Oklahoma training turf three times since the Jaipur, and most recently breezed over the dirt surface with a three-furlong move in 38.68 seconds Sunday.

Cogburn, assigned a field-high 124 pounds, exits post 6 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing’s Big Invasion holds a 2-for-4 record at the Spa, including wins going the Troy distance in 2022 in the Grade 3 Quick Call presented by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Listed Mahony.

Trained by Christophe Clement, the son of Declaration of War was narrowly defeated when second last year in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Belmont Park ahead of an off-the-board finish at Royal Ascot, but rebounded well when returning to Saratoga to post a neck defeat in the Listed Harvey Pack. A win in the Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine propelled him to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at Santa Anita Park, where he was a gutsy second by a neck to Nobals.

Big Invasion is looking for his first win of the year after finishing off-the-board behind Cogburn at Churchill and in the Jaipur, but flashed his talents again last out with a neck defeat in a six-furlong optional claimer on July 4 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Frankie Dettori will ride for the first time from post 7 [118 pounds].

Colts Neck Stables’ Kentucky homebred Grooms All Bizness [post 8, Dylan Davis, 122 pounds] goes for a hat trick of stakes scores for trainer Jorge Duarte, Jr. in his second attempt at the graded level.

The 5-year-old son of Fed Biz was successful in a title defense of the five-furlong Get Serious last out, coming home a 1 1/4-length winner on June 16 at Monmouth Park. The effort marked his second consecutive stakes win after a career-best performance in the Listed Jim McKay Turf Sprint on May 18 that garnered a 97 Beyer.

The consistent gelding, who finished fourth in the 2022 Grade 3 Turf Monster in his lone graded outing, has been on the board in his last seven outings, losing by no more than 3 3/4 lengths. His 14-6-3-2 record also includes a win in last year’s Get Serious and on-the-board finishes in three other stakes.

Godolphin’s Irish homebred Mischief Magic seeks a return to the win column for the first time since February after a fifth-place finish in the Jaipur.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, the Exceed And Excel 4-year-old won the Dubai Sprint on February 2 at Meydan Racecourse before a narrowly-beaten third in the Group 3 Dukhan Sprint there. His stateside foray this year has yielded a second and a third from three starts this spring, led by a deep-closing second in the Grade 2 Shakertown one length behind Arzak in April at Keeneland.

Aside from Cogburn, Mischief Magic boasts the lone Grade 1 win amongst his competitors. He captured the 2022 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland to cap a campaign that included a win in the Group 3 Sirenia at Kempton.

William Buick will attempt to engineer a winning trip from post 1 [122 pounds].

The Elizabeth Merryman-trained Witty [post 10, Tyler Gaffalione, 122 pounds] comes from a family that are no strangers to upsets on the big stage. His half-sister Caravel stunned the 2022 Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint at odds of 42-1, and the Great Notion gelding will attempt to spring an upset of his own as he vies for his first graded coup.

Owned by Merryman with Marc Detampel and Qatar Racing, Witty won his seasonal bow in the King T. Leatherbury in April at Laurel Park and followed with two good runner-up efforts in the Turf Sprint won by Grooms All Bizness and the Grade 2 Highlander on June 29 at Woodbine.

Bred in Pennsylvania by Merryman, Witty’s 23-8-9-0 record includes six stakes wins and $614,502 in earnings.

Completing the sizable field are graded stakes-winning New York-bred Dancing Buck [post 3, Manny Franco, 122 pounds] for conditioner Michelle Nevin; multiple graded stakes-placed New York-bred Thin White Duke [post 11, Jose Lezcano, 118 pounds], who finished off-the-board in Race 7 Sunday here for trainer David Donk; stakes-winners Sosua Summer [post 9, Joel Rosario, 122 pounds, blinkers off] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Outlaw Kid [post 2, Flavien Prat, 118 pounds] for trainer George Weaver and Xy Speed [post 4, Edwin Gonzalez, 120 pounds] for trainer Michael Lerman; and the Jorge Abreu-trained two-time winner Mischievous Angel [post 5, Jose Ortiz, 118 pounds]. Disarmed has been entered for the main track-only.

The Troy, slated as Race 10, is one of five stakes on Saturday’s lucrative 13-race Whitney Day program, which features the Grade 1, $1 million Whitney – a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Classic – in Race 11, the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster in Race 8, the Grade 1, $600,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational in Race 7, and the Listed $135,000 Fasig-Tipton Lure in Race 9. First post is 12:05 p.m. Eastern, and gates open to the public at 10:30 a.m.

Saratoga Live will present live coverage and analysis of the Saratoga Race Course summer meet on the networks of FOX Sports. For the broadcast schedule and channel finder, visit https://www.nyra.com/saratoga/racing/tv-schedule/.

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