Palace Malice wins Jim Dandy

Palace Malice, the Belmont Stakes winner, enhanced his candidacy for three-year-old championship honors with a good-looking victory in Saturday's Grade 2, $600,000 Jim Dandy at Saratoga.

The son of two-time Horse of the Curlin will now head to the $1 million Travers on August 24, where he could meet Kentucky Derby winner Orb and Preakness victor Oxbow in what will potentially be the definitive race in the three-year-old division this year.

Breaking alertly in the Jim Dandy under Mike Smith, Palace Malice rated no more than 1 1/2 lengths behind Dwyer winner Moreno for the opening six furlongs. The fractions were a sensible :24, :47 2/5 and 1:11.

Smith asked Palace Malice for more around the far turn and soon caught up with his front-running rival. Edging clear just before the eighth-pole, Palace Malice extended his lead to a length and safely held off the belated charge of 17-1 chance Will Take Charge to win the Jim Dandy in a swift 1:47.37 for nine furlongs on a fast track.

Palace Malice's time is the second fastest ever by a Jim Dandy winner since the race was lengthened in 1972. Louis Quatorze won in a time of 1:47.26 in 1996.

The 6-5 favorite in a field of nine, Palace Malice returned $4.70 to win.

"Everything went absolutely as we talked about it this morning when Mike and I went over the race," winning trainer Todd Pletcher said. "We felt like Moreno would be the pacesetter. The only thing we were trying to figure out was if we'd be laying second or third. The horse broke really well and went to the first turn really relaxed. We had a beautiful trip. He got into a good comfortable rhythm down the backside. He relaxed nicely and finished up pretty well in a very, very good time.

"We got the race over the track. The horse keeps getting better and better and today was arguably his best performance yet. Hopefully, on to the Travers."

"It set up really well, but Todd and his connections had him really ready," Smith said. "He was better than last time. Those are kind of big words to say after winning the Belmont, but he truly was, and with room to grow. The last sixteenth of a mile he was well within himself. He was searching for more ground, if i needed it. I think he'll get every inch of a mile and a quarter; I really do."

Will Take Charge, turning in his best performance since March when he won the Rebel at Oaklawn Park, closed well in his first start without blinkers since his debut last August.

"I thought he'd run big," trainer D. Wayne Lukas said. "At the top of the stretch I thought we had a shot at it because they were developing a little heat up front.

"He's a little bit light, and he's just getting his growth; the next 30 days should make a difference. I can see him being very effective in the Travers; I think he'll even get better late in the fall."

This was jockey Mike Smith's third Jim Dandy win and first in 16 years (Jessie Holmes/EquiSport Photos)

Take Charge Indy was 2 1/4 lengths clear of Moreno, who had five lengths on longshot Bashaar. Completing the order of finish was Code West, Looking Cool, Perfect Title, Mylute and Freedom Child. Vyjack was scratched in order to run in Sunday's Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park.

Palace Malice opened his career with a second going five furlongs at Belmont Park last July and broke his maiden next out at Saratoga. Pletcher put the Kentucky-bred on the shelf for the rest of the year, and then saddled him for a runner-up finish against allowance rivals at Gulfstream in his sophomore debut. The bay made his stakes bow in the Risen Star at Fair Grounds, just missing in third by a half-length, and suffered his first off-the-board effort when seventh in the Louisiana Derby on March 30.

Palace Malice rebounded in his next start, just missing by a neck in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland, and then lined up in the Kentucky Derby. Wearing blinkers for the first, and so far only, time, the colt ran some of the fastest early fractions in Derby history before retreating to 12th in the 19-horse field.

With blinkers removed for the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes on June 8, Palace Malice rated more kindly for jockey Mike Smith, seized command around the far turn and drew off to a 3 1/4-length victory. With Saturday's win, he now boasts a 3-3-1 mark from nine career starts.

Bred by W.S. Farish, Palace Malice has more than earned back his purchase price having now banked $1,231,135 lifetime. He sold for $25,000 as a Keeneland September yearling prior to coming to Dogwood as a $200,000 Keeneland April two-year-old.

Palace Malice is the first stakes winner out of the stakes-winning Royal Anthem mare Palace Rumor, who is a half-sister to multiple stakes scorers Maya's Storm and Jumpifyoudare. His third dam is actually the granddam of Grade 1 victor Rail Trip, and further back this family has also produced English champion sprinter Flirting Around.