Cogburn in G1 Jaipur: That’s 59.80 seconds — for 5 1/2 furlongs!

Edited NYRA press release (Coglianese photos by Jetta Vaughns, above, and Ryan Thompson)

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – “I’ve had some of the fastest horses in the world, some of the fastest horses of all time, and he’s still the first one I’ve ever had run five-and-a-half furlongs in under a minute.”

That was Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen after Cogburn set the North American record for 5 1/2 furlongs on turn in dominating Saturday’s Grade 1, $500,000 Jaipur Stakes over the Saratoga Race Course Mellon grass course on the Belmont Stakes undercard.

The Jaipur awarded a “Win and You’re In” berth to the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint in November at Del Mar. Cogburn’s final time of 59.80 seconds shattered the previous course record of 1:00.21 set by Carotari in 2019, and came in his second consecutive graded stakes score after taking Churchill Downs’ Grade 2 Twin Spires Turf Sprint on May 4. 

Owned by Clark Brewster, William Heiligbrodt and Corinne Heiligbrodt, the 5-year-old bay son of Not This Time returned to the scene of his three-quarter-length score over subsequent Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint-winner Nobals in the Grade 3 Troy last summer. Now 4-5 on grass, Cogburn’s only defeat on the surface came when he was fifth by a total of only three-quarters of a length in the $1 million Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint last Sept. In that mad rush to the wire, Cogburn was bested by a head, neck, neck, head. That Grade 2 stakes, which will carry a purse of $2 million this year for Kentucky-breds such as Cogburn, also is a “Win and You’re In for the Breeders’ Cup.

Asmussen, who also trained exceptionally fast Champions Echo Zulu, Jackie’s Warrior and Mitole, marveled at Cogburn’s ability. 

“Five and a half furlongs in under a minute,” said Asmussen, whose main division in the spring and fall is stabled at Churchill Downs. “That’s not five-eighths five, that’s five-and-a-half. That’s basically a sixteenth of a mile faster than a fast horse.”

The loaded group of 12 for the Jaipur saw Cogburn break sharp along with Coppola before Sosua Summer made a swift early bid to race in second to the outside of Cogburn through an opening quarter-mile in 21.33 seconds over the firm footing. 

Exiting the turn, Sosua Summer attempted to come onto even terms with Cogburn under urging from Luis Saez, but Cogburn almost immediately turned back the challenge and drew clear with a devastating turn of foot at the top of the stretch. 

Coppola gave chase along the inside as the wide-running Arzak attempted to mount a bid down the center of the course and closed willingly under Jaime Torres through the half-mile in 43.07, but Cogburn was much the best as he put daylight between him and the field to cross the wire in-hand 3 1/2 lengths in front of Arzak, who got his head down in time between third-place Star of Mystery and fourth-place Coppola. 

Mischief Magic, Dancing Buck, Filo Di Arianna, Thin White Duke, Alogon, Big Invasion, Sosua Summer and No Nay Mets completed the order of finish. Also-eligibles Grooms All Bizness, Outlaw Kid, American Monarch and Souper Quest were scratched.

Asmussen added Cogburn demonstrated improved gate skills today. 

“Today, we obviously had extremely high expectations of him. He did have a tendency of getting a little bit left in the gate last year,” Asmussen said. “But today, from the first jump, his head was in front and it was all smooth from there. Smooth.”

Jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., who notched his third win on the card after scores in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens presented by Mohegan Sun with Book’em Danno and the Grade 2 Suburban aboard Crupi, said Cogburn’s speed is something to behold.

“So fast. I can’t believe it. He was a rocket ship [out of the gate],” Ortiz, Jr. said. “After that, I just sit on him and relax. When it was the time to go, turning for home, I felt like he was loaded. I asked him to go and he responded really well. I asked him and he gave me what he go, all the way to the wire. That was nice.”

Bred in Kentucky by Bellary Bloodstock, Cogburn is now 4-for-5 since switching to turf last May, a record that includes additional stakes scores at Lone Star Park in the Chamberlain Bridge and Grand Prairie Turf Sprint. He banked $275,000 for his Jaipur score and improved his lifetime record to 14-8-2-0 while returning $6.30 on a $2 win ticket. 

“He’s unbelievably impressive. He’s an absolutely different horse since being switched to the turf. Absolutely,” said Asmussen. “We moved him to the turf because I didn’t feel that he had met his potential the way that he had trained. He’d run solid on the dirt, but we expected better from him. Then, we moved him to the turf and he had some success but did it a little too late in the year last year. We gave him a freshening and he’s come back an absolute monster.”

Torres, aboard the late-running runner-up Arzak, said the Michael Trombetta trainee overcame a difficult post to put in an admirable effort. 

“We had a tough post in the 2-spot. I was going to kind of let him break how he wants, and everybody came down, so it was compact,” said Torres. “I had to wait to the last moment to take him out and make a run. He ran huge. That was a track record and he was only a few lengths behind. He ran really, really good.”

Arzak also is a Kentucky Downs “grad,” having finished sixth of 11 in the 2022 Kentucky Downs Turf Sprint. Arzak also is a son of the Taylor Made stallion Not This Time.

The Jaipur saw trainer Charlie Appleby saddle two contenders as the filly Star of Mystery and gelding Mischief Magic finished a respective third and sixth. The veteran conditioner said both horses are likely to target the Grade 2, $300,000 Troy on August 3 here. 

“We are delighted with the filly, obviously. For her first experience here, she’s given Flavien [Prat] his money’s worth,” said Appleby. “What I liked about it is she’s done it the right way. She’s jumped, she’s traveled and she’s finished. I think a race like the Troy will suit her. Mischief Magic was his usual self. He’s always one of those horses who will come home good and you’ll always be thinking ‘well, next time’ with him. Both ran solid and we’ll probably run them back together in the Troy.”