OZONE PARK, N.Y.--Brooklyn Strong, the 2-year-old son of Wicked Strong, who stands in Pennsylvania at Dr. William Solomon's Pin Oak Lane Farm in New Freedom, Pa., won the G2, $150,000 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct on Dec. 5.

Brooklyn Strong (Photo by Coglianese Photos)Owned by Mark Schwartz, Brooklyn Strong was the only New York-bred entered in the Remsen, but he had no trouble in open company with a hard fought triumph by a neck over 6-5 post time favorite Ten for Ten in Saturday’s nine-furlong event for 2-year-olds.

Bred in New York by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, Brooklyn Strong is out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Riviera Chic and was a $5,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training from the Coastal Equine consignment.

Wicked Strong stands for $3,500 for 2021, and Brooklyn Strong now has three firsts, two of the stakes, and a third from four starts with earnings of $195,000, a good return on $3,500 stud fee and $5,000 purchase.

Potential breeders can read more about Wicked Strong in The Horse's  STALLIONS 2021 section.

 

BROOKLYN STRONG provided a first graded stakes triumph for trainer Daniel Velazquez as well as the first United States graded stakes win for his second crop sire Wicked Strong, who captured the 2014 Wood Memorial at the Big A.

Brooklyn Strong and connections (Photo by Coglianese Photos)Velazquez expressed optimism that Brooklyn Strong could get both the distance and a win over a wet track.

“I was very confident going in,” Velazquez said. “I knew the distance was key, and I was confident about the off track. I was happy with his performance. He really dug in. Today was a big showcase for him against tougher competition, and I couldn't be happier.

“It's tough. They paid a lot of money for him [Ten for Ten] and we paid $5,000,” Velazquez said. “You start to second guess yourself, but I knew he had the heart to grind it out.”

“We'll come back healthy and then start picking our spots,” Velazquez said. “This is a big prep for the Derby moving forward. Now, we're definitely Derby dreaming.”

Velazquez has already been reminded of the fact that this year's Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law, who was second in the Kentucky Derby, is also a New York-bred.

"I honestly think we are looking for that in the bloodline, and we may have an encore," he said about the connection to Tiz the Law.

Being a son of 2014 G1 Wood Memorial Stakes winner Wicked Strong only added to Velazquez's optimism.

"He has very, very similar features to that one," Velazquez said of his trainee's sire.

Time will tell whether Velazquez and Schwartz will make their first Kentucky Derby start with a horse they bought for a mere $5,000, but for now, with the Kentucky Derby six months away, they at least have a nice head start.

"Now he has to be considered among the top 2-year-olds," Schwartz said.

With his Remsen win, Brooklyn Strong has 10 points in the Road to the Kentucky Derby series, which also awarded 4-2-1 points to the second through fourth finishers.

Brooklyn Strong looks like he can handle an added distance of ground as neither the sealed, sloppy track or the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Remsen affected his finishing kick.

Brooklyn Strong's career started Sept. 12 with a win in a $40,000 maiden claimer at Delaware Park in a two-turn one-mile test.

"He can run all day," Schwartz said about the winner of the Sleepy Hollow Stakes over 2-year-old New York-breds in his previous start. "If this was 1 1/4 miles, he would have won by a length or two. He has always been the horse moving fastest of all at the finish."

Buying Brooklyn Strong at a low price from the Coastal Equine consignment this year at the Ocala Breeders' Sales Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training and having Velazquez turn him into a graded stakes winner of $195,000 only added to Schwartz's delight.

"He's the best trainer nobody knows about," Schwartz said.

Brooklyn Strong broke sharply in the Remsen under jockey Joel Rosario and was three wide into the turn as Ten for Ten led the tightly-packed five-horse field through an opening quarter-mile of 23.67 seconds and the half in 47.86 over the sloppy and sealed main track.

Rosario lightly nudged Brooklyn Strong as the field approached the far turn, and advanced into second through three-quarters in 1:12.69 with Ten for Ten still to catch.

Just outside the eighth pole, Brooklyn Strong was on even terms with the pacesetter as the two battled out the final furlong.

Ten for Ten proved stubborn, but Brooklyn Strong got in front at the right time with a neck victory in 1:50.60.

Known Agenda was another 8 ¾ lengths back in third, and Pickin’ Time and Erawan completed the order of finish.

Rosario said he had to work to maintain position early in the in the race.

“I broke well and it looked like they were running away from me a little bit, so I had to ride him to get position,” said Rosario. “I didn't want to let him fall back, so I rode him to stay within a couple of lengths. I was happy with how he was progressing, and I was confident he was going to have something left for the end.”

The veteran rider said Brooklyn Strong was determined down the lane as they attempted to reel in Ten for Ten, who was purchased for $400,000 at last year’s Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

“He was responding to me and I didn't know how much horse I had, but I felt like we were moving very well,” said Rosario regarding the stretch run. “I was confident he would keep moving forward. I had to ride him a little bit.”

Brooklyn Strong will start the winter at Velazquez's Parx Racing barn, and Schwartz said the Feb. 6, 3 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct is a definite possibility.

A Remsen winner hasn't gone on to take the Derby since Thunder Gulch captured the 1995 Run for the Roses.

Since he lives in Florida, Schwartz would love to see Brooklyn Strong in the G1 Florida Derby, but he said that following in the footsteps of the gelding's sire and running in the G2 Wood Memorial April 3 at the Big A is also a possibility.

"Now we definitely dream," Velazquez said.