It’s been almost seven full weeks since Palace Malice won the Belmont Stakes (Gr.1) by more than 3 lengths and now finally the classic winning son of Curlin is ready to grace the track again. The Todd Pletcher trained 3-year-old colt heads a field of 9 other sophomore contenders in the Grade 2 Jim Dandy Stakes on Saturday at Saratoga and he’s looking like a very strong favorite. I’m trying not to let my “Curlin bias” cloud my better judgment here, but from all indications it seems that Palace Malice is even better and stronger than he was before winning the Belmont Stakes. Pletcher has said repeatedly since the Belmont that the striking bay colt is full of energy and improving with each passing day. He even went so far as to say that the rugged Triple Crown campaign seems to have infused Palace Malice with more energy than he had before and his last three works seem to confirm that, especially his 1:00.32 five furlong workout on July 14. If he wins the Jim Dandy rest assured the race for champion 3-year-old colt this year will heat up even more, and the fact that Oxbow and Verrazano will be facing off in the Haskell on the exact same day just adds to the drama and excitement of the weekend. This is the kind of weekend a racing fan lives for.
Of the nine other challengers set to face the Belmont champ, Matt Winn Stakes (Gr.3) victor Code West, Dwyer Stakes (Gr.2) winner Moreno, Peter Pan (Gr.2) champ Freedom Child, Midnight Lute colt Mylute and Gotham Stakes (Gr.3) winner Vyjack appear to be the toughest challengers. Vyjack is cross-entered in the Grade 1 Haskell where he drew post position #1 after drawing post #10 in the Jim Dandy. A decision on which race he will contest is expected sometime today. Trainer Rudy Rodriquez guided the bay gelding through wins in the Grade 2 Jerome Stakes and Grade 3 Gotham Stakes earlier this year before he finished a very solid third in the Wood Memorial Stakes (Gr.1). After an 18th place finish in the Derby and an 8th place finish in the Belmont, Vyjack is looking to retrieve his earlier reputation and place himself once again towards the top of the three-year-old roster.
Trainer Bob Baffert is always a staple at the nation’s biggest races and usually brings some of the best players into the game and this time he’s bringing Matt Winn Stakes (Gr.3) winner Code West. The Lemon Drop Kid colt finished second in the Risen Star Stakes (Gr.2) in February, a half-length ahead of Palace Malice, and then ran 6th in the Louisiana Derby (Gr.2) one month later. He enters the Jim Dandy off two straight wins, most recently having captured the Matt Winn Stakes by a head after holding off a very determined Uncaptured down the length of the stretch. He previously had captured a 1 1/16 mile allowance race by 6 ¾ lengths. This colt is an excellent worker, three of last five works have all earned bullet status, with his most recent being a :46.00 flat four furlong move. He’s fit, he’s talented and it looks like he’s improving so he’s going to be a big threat. My only concern with him is the distance. He’s bred to get the 1 1/8 miles, but his only two wins this year were at the 1 1/16 mile distance and he finished 6th after tiring late in the Louisiana Derby at the 1 1/8 mile distance.
Moreno looks to improve won his maiden just two starts back at Belmont Park, just a few hours before Palace Malice captured the Belmont Stakes. He won his mile maiden by more than 6 lengths that day before coming back one month later to romp by 7 lengths in the 1 1/16 mile Dwyer Stakes (Gr.2). IN both starts he broke on top and never looked back. I really like this cot a lot and the fact that he’s a son of Ghostzapper just adds to his appeal. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him take a piece of the action at Saratoga on Saturday.
Freedom Child is a tough one to figure out. After his 13 length romp in the Peter Pan Stakes (Gr.2) he became one of the well-regarded newcomers in the Belmont Stakes and then finished second to last in a 14 horse field without any obvious excuses. He’s got nice breeding and has shown flashes of brilliance, but when it comes down to it I just don’t feel confident backing him.
Mylute finished 7th in the Risen Star Stakes earlier in the year, well behind Code West and Palace Malice, but followed that up by finishing just a neck behind Revolutionary in second in the Grade 2 Louisiana Derby. After finishing 5th in the Kentucky Derby, the son of Midnight Lute has yet to start after finishing third to Oxbow and Itsmyluckyday in the Preakness Stakes. He definitely has the ability to be highly competitive against the best this crop has to offer, so his chances in the Jim Dandy cannot be underestimated just because he hasn’t broken through with a win in the big leagues. That being said I don’t think he’ll upset Palace Malice.
The rest of the field is completed by Rebel Stakes (Gr.2) winner Will Take Charge who completed his triple crown season with 8th, 7th and 10th place finishes in the Derby, Preakness and Belmont Stakes respectively. He was one of the most physically striking colts on the triple crown trail this year in my humble opinion, but looks have not done much for him since defeating Oxbow in the Rebel. Looking Cool enters off a victory in the Iowa Derby (Gr.3) by a neck, Perfect Title enters off a 1 ¼ length allowance score at Churchill Downs and Bashaar enters off a 3rd place run in the Iowa Derby. None appear to be in the same league as the rest of the field.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Curlin fan and as such, a huge Palace Malice fan, so I’ll be rooting with all my heart for jockey Mike Smith and the Belmont Stakes victor to make the magic happen again.
Take Our PollFiled under: Bob Baffert, Code West, Freedom Child, Jim Dandy, Moreno, Mylute, Palace Malice, Todd Pletcher, Vyjack, Will Take Charge Tagged: Code West, Freedom Child, Jim Dandy Stakes, Moreno, Mylute, Palace Malice, Thoroughbred Horse Racing, Todd Pletcher, Vyjack, Will Take Charge
