We analyse the horizontal and vertical propagation of wind-forced near-inertial motions in a fully turbulent mesoscale eddy field with a primitive equations numerical model. One result is that the vertical kinetic energy of the near-inertial motions penetrates into the ocean interior more quickly and much deeper than the horizontal kinetic energy. Two maxima of near-inertial vertical velocity (both with r.m.s. values reaching 60 m/day) appear, one around 100 m and another unexpected one around 3000 m. The shallower maximum involves vertical motions with the inertial frequency (f) and a spatial heterogeneity that resembles the eddy vorticity gradient field. The deeper maximum involves a dominant frequency of twice the inertial frequency and smaller space scales. The emergence of the two maxima results from the phase shift of the lower vertical modes from the higher ones. A consequence of the appearance of the 2f frequency at large depths is that parametric subharmonic instability may then work. As such these result reveal a pathway by which the wind energy quickly penetrates into the deep interior where it would be available to mixing.