Palace Malice finds tough spot for return in Alydar
RACE REPLAY IS NOT AVAILABLE
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – For the second time this year, Palace Malice is on the comeback trail.
Palace Malice, the 2013 Belmont Stakes and 2014 Metropolitan Handicap winner, makes his second start of the year Sunday in the $100,000 Alydar Stakes, and if his connections thought they were landing in a soft spot, they were mistaken.
Palace Malice meets 11 rivals in the Alydar, including stablemate Mylute; Golden Ticket, the dead-heat co-winner of the 2013 Travers; and the in-form Matrooh in the 1 1/8-mile race.
Palace Malice was brought out of retirement for 2015, but a foot issue forced him to miss the Westchester on May 2. He came back to run third in the Diablo Stakes, a six-furlong race May 10, before being sidelined with complications associated with the foot.
However, his last two works have been solid, leading trainer Todd Pletcher to believe that he’s nearly back to his best form.
“I think we’ll find out more on Sunday, but based on the breeze that we saw over the weekend, I think that he looked like that when he was at his best,” Pletcher said.
John Velazquez will ride Palace Malice from post 6.
Matrooh has won three of his last four starts, his only loss coming to Noble Bird in a second-level allowance at Keeneland in April. He could be hampered by having drawn post 12.