Palace Malice Earns Bullet in Saratoga Breeze
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Dogwood Stable and Three Chimneys Farm's multiple grade I winner Palace Malice worked a bullet five furlongs on Saratoga Race Course's main track Aug. 2, as he nears a return to racing.
The son of 5-year-old son of Curlin was timed in :59.30, the fastest of 29 moves at the distance.
Nominated to both the $100,000 Alydar Aug. 9 and the Whitney (gr. I) a day earlier, both for older horses at 1 1/8 miles at Saratoga, Palace Malice has had four progressively stronger works at the Spa. He has made one start in the past 12 months, finishing third in the Diablo Stakes May 10 at Belmont Park.
As a 3-year-old, Palace Malice won the 2013 Belmont Stakes (gr. I) and Jim Dandy (gr. II), and was second in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Invitational (gr. I). He began 2014 winning four straight graded stakes, capped by the Metropolitan Handicap (gr. I) at Belmont before being sidelined after finishing off the board in the Whitney.
"He looked very good. I thought he went very well. When he's on his 'A' game he's a super horse, and it looks like he's rounding back into form," trainer Todd Pletcher said. "Hopefully we'll make a race sometime during the meet."