Palace Malice proving a hidden turf sire

Palace Malice never set foot on turf during his own racing career – but, drawing ability from the stamina and versatility of his sire line, the freshman sire has found success with his first juveniles routing on the turf. This was in evidence over the weekend at Belmont Park. Structor, Palace Malice’s top earner to date, remained unbeaten in two starts by winning the Grade 3 Pilgrim Stakes on the turf Saturday and is now bound for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf. A day later, his daughter Crystalle, winner of the P.G. Johnson Stakes last month on the Saratoga turf, finished second by three-quarters of a length in the Grade 2 Miss Grillo Stakes.

Palace Malice, who counted the 2013 Belmont Stakes and the 2014 Metropolitan Handicap among his six graded stakes victories, stands at Three Chimneys Farm, for which he currently sits fifth on the freshman earnings list. The young stallion is tied for fourth by individual winners, with 13 – behind American Pharoah, Constitution, and Tapiture, who each have 14 winners. In addition to Structor and Crystalle on the turf, Palace Malice’s other stakes horse is Spitefulness, who finished second in the Arlington-Washington Lassie Stakes on a synthetic track.

Palace Malice is by Curlin, who finished second in his only start on turf, the Grade 1 Man o’ War Stakes in 2008. Red Rocks, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Turf two years prior, was the victor; another Breeders’ Cup Turf winner, Better Talk Now, was third.

Curlin is best known as a consistent classic sire, but is the sire of graded stakes winners on turf, including Current, Diversy Harbor, and Moulin de Mougin.

Curlin is by the late leading sire Smart Strike, a multi-purpose sire whose turf winners include Eclipse Award divisional champion English Channel. He also sired Canadian Horse of the Year Soaring Free, a turf-sprint specialist, and Canadian champion grass horse Portcullis.