Big Brown gelding Coach Inge rebounded after being headed in the straight to claim the G2 Brooklyn Invitational (2400m) at Belmont Park on Saturday.
Coach Inge (4g Big Brown – Touch Too Much by Holy Bull) repelled last year’s G1 Travers Stakes winner V E Day twice to win the historic event by a neck. They streeted the rest of the field by more than five lengths.
“He put in a good fight down the lane for a horse that went head-and-head down the backstretch,” winning jockey John Velazquez said. “That’s a lot of guts.”
The Brooklyn marked the stakes debut for Coach Inge who was making his 10th start. It took him five attempts to win a 1700m maiden at Aqueduct in December and he followed up with two more victories at the Big A including a 12 length score in allowance company.
“That was a very powerful allowance race and we had a feeling he would handle the distance today,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “It was a heck of a horse race.” Watch the race here: http://www.nbcsports.com/horse-racing/coach-inge-edges-out-v-e-day-win-brooklyn-invitational
The Brooklyn purse increased his bank balance to $376,175. The Kentucky bred gelding was a $150,000 purchase for owner Mike Repole at the Ocala 2YO Sale in March 2013 and he is from a half-sister to Group 3 winning sprinter Comedero (Posse).
Vinery will stand Big Brown for a service fee of $8,800 (inc gst) in 2015.
