Asmussen freshening Cogburn, Society for Breeders' Cup

Steve Asmussen said two major players for Breeders’ Cup races, Cogburn and Society, won’t start again until November.

Cogburn figures a heavy favorite for the BC Turf Sprint after putting up a third consecutive powerhouse performance winning the Grade 2 Turf Sprint on Sept. 7 at Kentucky Downs. Cogburn earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure for that performance following a 111 in the Grade 1 Jaipur at Saratoga in June and a 107 in the Twin Spires Turf Sprint at Churchill the month before.

“We put a stopwatch on him walking around the barn just to see how fast he is,” Asmussen quipped.

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Fourth in last year’s BC Filly and Mare Sprint, Society will, by design, make just her third start of the season in this year’s renewal. After a decent comeback run in June, Society won the Grade 1 Ballerina on Aug. 24 at Saratoga by more than three lengths.

“She was pointed from last year’s Breeders’ Cup to this year’s Breeders’ Cup, and everything is perfectly on target,” Asmussen said.

Track Phantom won’t be running in a Breeders’ Cup race but has posted three recent breezes preparing for his first start since an 11th-place Kentucky Derby finish.

“He’s still quite a ways away, but it’s good to see him back under tack,” Asmussen said.

◗ Snead took a step down the Kentucky Derby trail finishing second to Track Phantom in the Gun Runner Stakes last December at Fair Grounds, but he makes his first start since then in the ninth race Sunday at Churchill. Trained by Brendan Walsh, Snead goes a one-turn mile in a second-level allowance open to $80,000 claimers.

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