Palace Malice to bypass Woodward, point to Jockey Club Gold Cup
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Trainer Todd Pletcher said Sunday Palace Malice will bypass the Grade 1 Woodward here Saturday to await the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Sept. 27.
Pletcher made his decision following a discussion with Dogwood Stable president Cot Campbell and after the 2013 Belmont winner had worked a half-mile in 48.93 seconds in company with stablemate Capo Bastone over the Saratoga main track earlier that morning.
“We felt like his record at Belmont is so good, we know he loves the track, and I thought his breeze this morning was fine, but it wasn’t sparkling, which is what we were looking for,” said Pletcher. “He didn’t gallop out as strongly as he normally does. So we just decided to wait on the Jockey Club.”
Breaking a length behind and outside Capo Bastone with jockey John Velazquez aboard, Palace Malice covered his opening quarter in 24.89 to pull even with his mate before angling out about four paths wide entering the stretch. Palace Malice finished on even terms with the 2013 King’s Bishop winner without being asked by Velazquez, galloped out five eighths in 1:01.40, but dropped about four lengths behind Capo Bastone pulling up at the seven eighths pole.
Palace Malice worked without blinkers Sunday. Pletcher had put blinkers on Palace Malice for his first work back following his disappointing sixth-place finish as the odds-on favorite in the Grade 1 Whitney earlier this month.
“We put blinkers on him a couple of times, once to gallop and once to breeze, and I didn’t notice any difference, so I don’t think we’ll do it for the Jockey Club,” said Pletcher. “But we’ll keep it in the back of our mind.”
Palace Malice, runner-up in the 2013 Jockey Club behind Ron the Greek, won the Grade 1 Metropolitan and the Grade 3 Westchester earlier this year at Belmont.
With Palace Malice out, the Whitney winner Moreno could go postward as the favorite in the Woodward. Moreno, who led throughout to win the Whitney by 1 1/4 lengths, also worked here after the renovation break Sunday going five furlongs in 59.14 before galloping out six panels in 1:13.03.
“We always work him a little later than some of the other horses because I warm him up by jogging a mile first,” said trainer Eric Guillot. “And I work him off the rail because it’s simple physics. It rained this week, and it’s deeper down on the inside, especially with all the other horses working before him chewing the track up in there. He could have gone 57 if you put another horse in front of him. It was no effort for him at all.”
Guillot said if all goes well in the Woodward, he will keep Moreno in New York and join Palace Malice in the Jockey Club Gold Cup next month at Belmont.
A field of eight to nine older horses is expected for the 1 1/8-mile Woodward when the race is drawn on Wednesday. Along with Moreno, the lineup is also expected to include Itsmyluckyday, Last Gunfighter, Micromange, Prayer for Relief, Romansh, Stephanoatsee and Zivo. Trainer Bill Mott said he will run Donn Handicap winner Lea in the Woodward or the one-mile Ack Ack at Churchill Downs on Sept. 6.
Micromanage, who’ll represent trainer Pletcher in the absence of Palace Malice, worked a half-mile in 48.63 and galloped out five-eighths in 1:01.80 in company with Harpoon after the renovation break on Monday.
– additional reporting by David Grening