Palace Malice takes the Belmont
ELMONT, N.Y. — Palace Malice never wore blinkers before the Kentucky Derby, when he turned into a runaway train for jockey Mike Smith. They came off for Saturday’s Belmont Stakes, when the underachieving colt finally took control in a million-dollar race.
The wild horse that blasted through a 45 1/5second half-mile and faded to 12th at Churchill Downs became a patient pursuer at Belmont Park, where Palace Malice and Smith passed Oxbow approaching the quarter pole and drew off for a 3-length victory. Derby winner Orb, the 2-1 favorite, was third, a length ahead of Incognito before a crowd of 47,562.
“We always felt he had a big win in him,” trainer Todd Pletcher said of Palace Malice. “We never lost confidence.”
The 13-1 shot won for only the second time in eight career starts and for the first time beyond 6 furlongs. The son of twotime Horse of the Year Curlin was 0-for-5 this year, although he was second in Keeneland’s Blue Grass and third in the Risen Star at the Fair Grounds.
“I kept saying I know there’s a big race in there,” Pletcher said. “He got close a couple of times but didn’t quite get it done.”
It was the second Belmont victory for Smith (Drosselmeyer, 2010) and for Pletcher (Rags to Riches, 2007). It was the second classic trophy for 85year-old Cot Campbell’s Dogwood Stable, and the first since Summer Squall’s 1990 Preakness.
“This is the mother of all great moments,” Campbell said. “I’m proud for all my great partners, for Todd and for Mike. I’m proud for the people of Aiken, S.C. They’ll be dancing in the streets.”
Pletcher saddled a record five horses for the race, with the others running fifth (Revolutionary), sixth (the filly Unlimited Budget with Rosie Napravnik aboard), seventh (Overanalyze) and 12th (Midnight Taboo). Never was a man so thrilled to go 1-for-5.
Dogwood was one of Pletcher’s first clients when he left Oxbow’s trainer, D. Wayne Lukas, and went out on his own in 1995.