You might think, with months of training since his last start, with blinkers removed, the 3-year-old colt Schwarzenegger stands on the verge of a tactical change. The Palisades Stakes, an age-restricted 5 1/2-furlong turf sprint, teems with speedy front-runners like Schwarzenegger. It might make sense to try something new with a colt who blasted straight to the lead in his three races. Trainer Wesley Ward fielded such a question, asked if a chance existed that jockey John Velazquez might try to hold his mount off the pace Sunday at Keeneland in the $300,000 Palisades. “None,” Ward replied. “There are a lot of fast horses in there. We’re hoping we’re the fastest of them. He only knows one way to run.” :: Keeneland Spring Meet! Get DRF Past Performances, picks, news, and more. Lots of fast horses – and just lots of horses. The Palisades drew an overflow field of 14, a dozen in the main body, seven of those with TimeformUS early pace ratings over 100. Still, Ward’s hope might come to pass. Schwarzenegger on the pace figures looks like speed of the speed. He went to the lead last fall at Keeneland in the Indian Summer and held on by a half-length over Obliteration, who this season won the Renaissance at Oaklawn Park with a 90 Beyer Speed Figure before traveling overseas for a fine second in the $1.5 million Saudi Derby. Schwarzenegger’s travel to the Palisades consists of walking across Rice Road from Ward’s farm to Keeneland. Schwarzenegger has logged seven breezes – four on dirt, the last three on turf – since returning to the work tab in late February. The Palisades has stood as the target, Ward said, since Schwarzenegger finished a pace-and-fade fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint. His Indian Summer victory came after Schwarzenegger took a six-length head to the stretch call of his debut, a Saratoga turf sprint, and got run down at odds of 3-5. Schwarzenegger is a striking $950,000 son of Not This Time, and Ward last year imagined he might eventually mention Schwarzenegger in the same breath as his great turf sprinter Golden Pal. The belief remains, but Schwarzenegger has not run like that kind of horse. “He has to prove himself,” Ward said. “We didn’t get him going when we wanted last year because of the rain at Saratoga – had to scratch multiple times. His three races were kind of on top of each other, and horses as fast as him, more spacing always benefits them. Now he’s had this time off. He’s really going to tell us what kind of horse he is in this race.” Trainer George Weaver, frequently a force in turf-sprint stakes for younger horses, runs two, Azizam and Sandal’s Song. Azizam began his career racing in Europe before coming to Weaver last summer, while Sandal’s Song began his career racing in Florida and last ran in Europe. Debut winner of the Royal Palm Juvenile, an early-season turf sprint at Gulfstream Park, Sandal’s Song went to Royal Ascot for the Grade 2 Norfolk Stakes and ran a corker, finishing third of 15. Charles Darwin hasn’t started since winning the Norfolk but was an odds-on favorite there for trainer Aidan O’Brien, while Norfolk runner-up Wise Approach won the Group 1 Middle Park over six furlongs in his last start at 2. Irad Ortiz Jr. takes the mount on Sandal’s Song, who had a couple breezes last summer upon returning from England, but wound up getting several months off before hitting the work tab again Feb. 21 at Weaver’s winter base, Palm Beach Downs. Imported from England, where he had been third of 23 in the Windsor Castle at Royal Ascot, Azizam ran creditably at Kentucky Downs in his North American debut but regressed in the Indian Summer before getting the winter off. He won’t be anywhere near the lead, and an intemperate tempo could bring Azizam into play. Walter the Mason has so much speed that he last started in an 870-yard Quarter Horse race, but he’s no quicker than Schwarzenegger and the Florida shipper Monster. Intricate Spirit, ninth in the BC Juvenile Turf Sprint, has the right stalking style to capitalize on race shape but drew poorly in post 11. Schwarzenegger has post 3. We know where he’s going from there. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.