Brooklyn Test 3

Honor Code
Adam Coglianese

Coach Inge battled back after being headed by GI Travers S. hero V.E. Day in the stretch to capture his first black-type win in his first try. Earning his diploma at fifth asking at Aqueduct in December, the bay was second in an allowance over the inner there a month later and won over that strip next out Feb. 11. Third to GSW stablemate Effinex (Mineshaft) in a muddy optional claimer in Ozone Park Mar. 27, the gelding romped by 12 1/2 lengths in a 1 1/8-mile test at the Big A last time Apr. 22. Bumped at the start Saturdat, Coach Inge quickly regained his composure and slipped up the rail to take command and dueled Call Me George (Point Given) through moderate early fractions. Showing the way into the lane, the favorite was confronted by the late-charging V. E. Day, who came flying up the outside. V.E. Day headed Coach Inge in the final furlong and looked like he might go on with it, but the chalk gamely dug in and turned back V.E. Day in the final strides to score a gritty victory. “He came in off a very powerful allowance race and we just kind of had a feeling he'd handle the mile and a half, so we've kind of been targeting this for a while,” winning conditioner Todd Pletcher said. “I'll tell you it was a heck of a horse race. For that type of race, they were finishing. It was a very legitimately run race.” The winner's dam produced a filly by Street Sense in 2013 and a full-sister to the winner last year.

Saturday, Belmont Park
BROOKLYN INVITATIONAL S.-GII, $400,000, BEL, 6-6, 4yo/up, 1 1/2m, 2:27, ft.
1–#@COACH INGE, 117, g, 4, by Big Brown
1st Dam: Touch too Much, by Holy Bull
2nd Dam: Pawnee Patti, by Sir Richard Lewis
3rd Dam: Our Felicity, by Iron Warrior
($150,000 2yo '13 OBSMAR). O-Repole Stable;
B-Paul Pompa Jr (KY); T-Todd A Pletcher; J-John R
Velazquez. $220,000. Lifetime Record: 10-4-2-1,
$376,177. Werk Nick Rating: F.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.

2–V. E. Day, 123, c, 4, English Channel–California
Sunset, by Deputy Minister. ($105,000 yrl '12
KEESEP; $135,000 2yo '13 OBSMAR). O-M Bryant;
B-Bluegrass Hall LLC (KY); T-J Jerkens. $80,000.


3–Sky Kingdom, 119, h, 6, Empire Maker–Sky Beam,
by Kingmambo. ($180,000 wlng '09 KEENOV).
O-Westrock Stables LLC; B-Jim J Fitzgerald (KY);
T-Bob Baffert. $48,000.
Margins: NK, 5 1/4, 1HF. Odds: 2.95, 3.55, 4.30.
Also Ran: Call Me George, Neck 'n Neck, Wealth to Me, Turco Bravo (Chi), Cary Street, Ever Rider (Arg), Micromanage, Effinex. Scratched: Red Rifle, Tacticus.
Click for the brisnet.com chart, the brisnet.com PPs or the free brisnet.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton.