Cogburn remained unbeaten since moving to turf, posting his third consecutive victory on the grass by overtaking Nobals in the stretch to capture Saturday's $300,000 Troy (G1) for older horses to kick off the first of five stakes on a stacked Whitney Day Card at Saratoga Race Course.
Since Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen moved Cogburn from the main track to the turf, the 4-year-old Not This Time colt rallied for a pair of five-furlong victories, winning the Chamberlain Bridge in May and the Grand Prairie Turf Sprint in June at Lone Star Park. Stretched out slightly to the Troy distance of 5 1/2 furlongs, Cogburn improved to 3-for-3 on the lawn with his three-quarter-length victory.
Before earning another winner's circle trip, Nobals led the seven-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in :21.92 and the half in :45.19 into the stretch over a yielding Mellon turf course.
Cogburn, under jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., previously won over firm ground but handled the softer going with aplomb. Straightened for home, Cogburn first overtook Remuda from the outside and set his sights on Nobals, collaring him inside the final sixteenth and hitting the wire in 1:03.70.
Nobals, ridden by E.T. Baird, bested Thin White Duke by 1 1/2 lengths for second for trainer Larry Rivelli. Caravel, the 6-year-old mare who entered off a five-race win streak and went off as 1-2 favorite, finished fourth. Remuda, Mister Mmmmm and Ikigai completed the order of finish. Grooms All Bizness was scratched.
“The last two races, he'd been breaking really bad. I was really surprised when he got out on two feet, I stayed last by maybe 10 to 15 lengths, and man he closed hard,” Santana said. “I was really happy where I was today, that was all the plan. It is what I went over with Steve this morning and that horse looked like he loved the turf.
“It was a perfect trip,” he continued. “The horse has been improving and improving, more and more. He ran hard today. He really liked the turf and I'm really happy with him.”
Off at 7-1, Cogburn returned $17 on a $2 win wager. Campaigned by Clark O. Brewster and William and Corinne Heiligbrodt, he improved his career earnings to $591,710 and is now 6-2-0 in 11 career starts.
“I think obviously he has excelled on the turf, being undefeated, and gave me a great feel today,” Asmussen said. “We put him on the turf honestly because he wasn't performing as well as he trained on the dirt. He would run solid, but not as special as he seemed training.”
After handling the softer track, Asmussen said the potential for a Breeders' Cup target in November at Santa Anita could be in play, along with a potential start first in the $1-million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint (G2) on September 9.
“I thought Ricardo gave him just a perfect trip today,” Asmussen said. “Thankfully, he handled the soft turf. The concern was that he had run twice on very firm turf and all the rain we got yesterday — not being sure how he'd like it — but obviously it suits him well. I feel great to beat the field that we did today and now we can think big. We hopefully have a Breeders' Cup horse.”
Nobals, who won the Turf Sprint (G2) in May at Churchill Downs and William Garrett Handicap in July in his previous start, finished on the board for the fourth time in his last five starts.
“He broke great and he really ran his race,” Baird said. “He handled it great. I know it's a little soft, but he never bobbled once and didn't have a hard time handling the track at all.”
Caravel's trainer, Brad Cox, said the give in the ground was not to his charge's liking.
“It was [the yielding turf]. She's never traveled like that in her life,” Cox said. “We'll regroup. I don't know where we'll go from here.”
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