Coach Inge takes stakes debut in Brooklyn

Coach Inge (inside) was all heart in the final furlong of the Brooklyn (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos) Coach Inge (Big Brown) repelled last year’s Travers (G1) winner V. E. Day (English Channel) after a long stretch duel to take his stakes debut in Saturday’s $400,000 Brooklyn (G2) at Belmont Park. On or near the lead throughout the historic, 12-furlong contest, Coache Inge traded leads with Call Me George through early splits of :23 3/5, :49 1/5, 1:13 4/5, 1:38 4/5 and 2:03 1/5. Finally putting that one away entering the stretch, Mike Repole’s gelding then braced for the challenge from V. E. Day, who moved ahead by a half-length with a furlong to go. However, Coach Inge was not through and battled back along the inside to win by a neck in a time of 2:27 over a fast track. Trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by John Velazquez, the 5-2 favorite returned $7.90.

V. E. Day was a clear second, 5 1/4 length ahead of Sky Kingdom (Empire
Maker). Call Me George (Point Given), Neck ‘n Neck (Flower Alley), Wealth to Me
(Tapit), Turco Bravo (Caesarion), Cary Street (Smarty Jones), Ever Rider (Rider
Stripes), and Micromanage (Medaglia d’Oro) were next under the wire. Second
choice Effinex (Mineshaft) was pulled up late after bolting to the outside fence
around the final turn, while Red Rifle (Giant’s Causeway) and Tacticus (A.P.
Indy) were withdrawn.

Un placed in his first three starts, two of which were on turf, Coach Inge
finished second on his return to dirt and then broke his maiden by a neck
December 11 going 1 1/16 miles at Aqueduct. He passed his first allowance
condition two starts later, also over Aqueduct’s inner track, and preceded this
with a 12 1/2-length romp in the mud against second-level allowance company over
the Big A’s main track. The four-year-old has now earned $376,177 from a line of
10-4-2-1.

Bred in Kentucky by Paul Pompa Jr., Coach Inge brought $150,000 at the OBS
March sale of two-year-olds. He was produced by Touch too Much (Holy Bull), a
half-sister to Grade 3-winning sprinter Comedero (Posse).

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