Fair Grounds: Palace Malice confirmed for New Orleans Handicap

Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice, who gamely won his 4-year-old debut March 8 in the Gulfstream Park Handicap, will make his next start in the Grade 2, $400,000 New Orleans Handicap on March 29, according to a release from owner Dogwood Stables on Tuesday.

Mike Smith, who rides Intense Holiday in the Louisiana Derby and Fiftyshadesofgold in the Fair Grounds Oaks, has the mount, the release said. Smith rode Palace Malice in the Belmont but wasn’t aboard the colt in his two most recent starts.

Palace Malice shipped twice from trainer Todd Pletcher’s base to Fair Grounds last winter, finishing third in the Risen Star Stakes and a troubled seventh in the Louisiana Derby. He ended his 3-year-old campaign with a sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic.