Palace Heads Gravesend for Curtain Call

Multiple graded stakes winner Palace   will squeeze in one more start—the $100,000 Gravesend Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Dec. 26—before retiring to stud at Spendthrift Farm.

 

When Spendthrift purchased breeding rights for the dual grade I winner back in October, plans called for a Breeders' Cup Sprint (gr. I) bid. But Palace missed the race because of a foot issue, later running third in the Nov. 14 Frank De Francis Memorial Dash and second by a head in the Nov. 26 Fall Highweight Handicap (gr. III) for trainer Linda Rice and owner Antonino Miuccio.

 

"He wanted the option to keep Palace through the end of the year," Mark Toothaker, Spendthrift's stallion sales manager, said of Miuccio. "We've wanted the horse since we made the deal, but I understand the owner's perspective; if I had a horse like Palace, I'd want to keep running him too."

 

Toothaker said Palace must arrive in Kentucky by Jan. 1.

 

"Hopefully after the Gravesend, they'll put him on the van and we'll get him in time for the January sale," he said. "We've already got around 125 mares to him and nobody's even seen him yet."

 

But first comes the day after Christmas and six furlongs for the 6-year-old New York-bred. Breaking from post 3 under regular rider Cornelio Velasquez, Palace will carry 122 pounds while taking on five others as the 2-1 favorite on the morning line.

 

New Jersey-bred Green Gratto is the 124-pound highweight in the bunch, having beaten Palace last out in the Fall Highweight after showing the way throughout. The 5-year-old son of Here's Zealous picked up his first graded score for trainer Gaston Grant, also his co-owner, in that start. He departs post 2 under Kendrick Carmouche.

 

Fabulous Kid, third in the Fall Highweight, completes the lineup along with Jake N Elwood, Heaven's Runway, and Alex the Terror.