by Mike Curry
Dual classic winner Big Brown rewarded a partisan crowd at Monmouth Park as he steadily reeled in pacesetter Coal Play to win the $1-million Haskell Invitational Stakes Presented by Vonage (G1) by 1 3/4 lengths on Sunday at Monmouth Park.
The Boundary colt rebounded from a confounding performance on June 7 in the Belmont Stakes (G1), in which he was eased by jockey Kent Desormeaux in the stretch as the overwhelming 3-to-10 favorite.
After the Belmont, trainer Richard Dutrow Jr. left no stone unturned while looking for an explanation for Big Brown’s lackluster effort, but neither Dutrow nor veterinarians found anything wrong with the gifted colt. Big Brown entered the Belmont Stakes unbeaten with a chance to become the 12th United States Triple Crown winner after convincing wins in the Kentucky derby Presented by Yum! Brands (G1) and the Preakness Stakes (G1).
In the Haskell, Big Brown did not demonstrate the electric turn of foot he flashed in visually impressive Kentucky Derby and Preakness victories, prevailing instead with a more workmanlike performance in his return from a layoff of nearly two months.
“I feel much better than the last time he ran, I’ll tell you that,” Dutrow said. “He showed up today. That other horse [Coal Play] ran a huge, huge race. The last eighth, he got himself together and showed us what he’s made of.”
Big Brown stalked Coal Play from second as the 1-to-5 favorite through strong fractions of :23.05 and :46.59 through a half-mile and was put to a drive by Desormeaux on the far turn in the 1 1/8-mile race. Big Brown lugged out a bit in early stretch but found another gear. He gradually closed in on Coal Play and shook free in the closing strides to prevail in 1:48.31 on a track rated as fast.
“He found a new gear and just kept sticking his neck out,” Desormeaux said. “I knew he was going to get there. At the top of the stretch, that horse [Coal Play] took off, but Big Brown took off after him. He just kept coming and I knew we’d get him.”
Coal Play held off stablemate Cool Coal Man by 4 1/4 lengths to finish second. Nick Zito trains both Coal Play and Cool Coal Man for owner Robert LaPenta.
Owner by IEAH Stables and Paul Pompa Jr., Big Brown improved to six wins in seven starts and boosted his earnings to $3,314,500. Big Brown will begin his career at stud in 2009 at Three Chimneys Farm in Midway, Kentucky. Bred in Kentucky by Monticule, he is out of the winning Nureyev mare Mien.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Mike Curry is a Thoroughbred Times TODAY editor