Coach Inge Repels V. E. Day in Brooklyn
A few hours before American Pharoah attempts to become the 12th Triple Crown winner in Saturday's Grade 1, $1.5 million Belmont Stakes, the Todd Pletcher-trained Coach Inge turned in a courageous performance to capture the Grade 2, $400,000 Brooklyn at Belmont Park.
The 127th running of the 1 ½-mile Brooklyn, run at the same distance as the Belmont, was one of ten stakes on the 13-race program that capped the three-day Belmont Stakes Racing Festival presented by DraftKings.
The son of Big Brown entered the Brooklyn, carded as the sixth race, off a runaway 12 ½-length score in an optional claimer on April 22 at Aqueduct Racetrack, but faced a much sterner test on Saturday in his stakes debut.
Coach Inge, a 4-year-old owned by Repole Stable, tussled with 23-1 longshot Call Me George for much of the journey before shedding his rival leaving the far turn. Under Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the bay gelding remained resolute in the lane, repelling a bid from last year's Grade 1 Travers winner V. E. Day to prove narrowly best and complete the distance in 2:27.17.
Making just his fourth career start and first in a stakes, Barry K. Schwartz's Japan wore down Nonna's Boy and Stanford in the stretch and surged past in the final 50 yards to kick off the day's 13-race program with a thrilling win in the $150,000 WinStar Farm Easy Goer for 3-year-olds.
Trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, the sophomore son of multiple Grade 1 winner Medaglia d'Oro ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:42.14 over a fast main track. Sent off at 2-1, he returned $6.10 to win.
"I said before the race he's the only horse that can upset American Pharoah," Mott said. "I just had him in the wrong race."
A seven-length maiden winner in his previous start April 30 at Churchill Downs, Japan and jockey Junior Alvarado rated at the back of a field reduced to three by scratches. Nonna's Boy, who stumbled coming out of the gate, led through fractions of 23.37 seconds, 46.47 and 1:10.47 with Stanford poised at his right flank.
Stanford and Nonna's Boy hooked up at the top of the stretch as Alvarado and Japan geared up on the outside to make their run. Steadily gaining ground, he hit the wire 1 ¼ lengths in front as Stanford, the 2-5 favorite, passed Nonna's Boy late for second by a neck.
In the day's third race, Robert LaPenta's March won his second consecutive graded stakes, taking the Grade 2, $500,000 Woody Stephens presented by I Love NY in a desperate finish over Cinco Charlie.
Leaving from post 2, March sat just behind a quick pace set by Ready for Rye of 22.22 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 45.04 for the half as Cinco Charlie pressed the early fractions to the outside.
As Ready for Rye drifted out a bit entering the stretch, March seized control of the vacated path and rallied along the fence to out-nod Cinco Charlie on the wire.
Trained by Chad Brown and Irad Ortiz, Jr., March returned $22.80 on a $2 win wager and completed the seven furlongs in 1:21.37. His bankroll now stands at $512,500.
The heavily favored Competitive Edge was put to a drive around the far turn but failed to respond and finished fast.
Rigney Racing's Channel Marker came charging down the middle of the stretch to catch Something Extra and Power Alert for a one-length victory in the 32nd running of the Grade 3, $300,000 Jaipur Invitational, the first of three graded grass stakes on the card.
A 4-year-old Purim gelding, Channel Marker ($23.60) ran six furlongs in 1:09.48 on a good Widener turf course for his first graded stakes victory and the first for trainer Phil Bauer, who entered the race 0-for-26 in 2015.
It was also the first stakes victory at Belmont Park and first graded stakes since the 2013 Hawthorne Derby for veteran jockey Francisco Torres, a winner of more than 2,900 career races since 1986.
Reserved in the early going while Something Extra and Power Alert took the field through fractions of 22.33 seconds, 45.32 and 57.14, Channel Marker switched to the outside for clear run at the top of the stretch. Something Extra was second, a half-length in front of fast-closing Ageless, who edged Power Alert by a neck for third.
The Jaipur was the fourth career win for Channel Marker and first in four starts since being claimed for $62,500 last May at Churchill Downs.
Source: NYRA Press Office