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| Palace Malice Wins the 145th Belmont Stakes |
“A SON
OF CURLIN’S GOING TO WIN THE BELMONT! CURLIN’S SON IS GOING TO WIN THE BELMONT!”
I’m sure the entire apartment building was aware of my allegiance during the
stretch drive of the 145th Belmont Stakes, but the high-pitched decibels
I was giving off was just my way of expressing my joy in its rawest form. The
145th Belmont Stakes could not have ended any better for me
personally. I have made no secret of my adoration for Curlin and his offspring
and watching Palace Malice capture the final jewel of the Triple Crown provided
the most gratifying flow of emotions I have experienced in racing since
watching Curlin and Rachel Alexandra campaigning across the nation.
Palace
Malice has been on the brink of winning a big race all year long and today, at
Belmont Park on the big sandy oval, he finally seized his moment to shine. The
entire field of 14 broke cleanly from the gate as long-shot Frac Daddy jumped
straight to the lead with fellow long-shot Freedom Child in close pursuit. Palace
Malice with Hall of Fame Rider Mike Smith aboard worked his way up from the 12
post to rate patiently in fourth going into the first turn as Preaknes
Stakes winner Oxbow and jockey Gary Stevens moved quickly past Freedom Child
and into second. Kentucky Derby winner Orb raced second to last down the
backside as Frac Daddy set blazing fractions of :23.11 for the opening quarter
and :46.66 for the half mile. Oxbow took command shortly after the half mile
marker with Freedom Child making a brief bid to move with him, but ultimately
fading away. Mike Smite meanwhile allowed Palace Malice to edge up into third
as the field approached the final turn with Oxbow still in the lead. From the
back of the pack Orb began to unleash an impressive rally, moving into
contention quickly as the homestretch loomed large. Palace Malice though
continued to gain ground on Oxbow, moving with fluid, even strides on the
outside to take command as the field came roaring into the stretch with the
crowd on its feet. Down the long Belmont homestretch Palace Malice continued to
slowly extend his lead, showing obvious signs of tiring as he approached the
wire, but nevertheless holding on to win by more than three lengths over a very
game Oxbow, with Orb another 1 ¾ lengths back in third.
So
there we have it. The 145th Belmont Stakes has been written in to
the history books and a son of the great Curlin snatched the win at odds of
13-1. Palace Malice has assured his place in history and I for one am very
excited at what his future might hold. He has natural speed that enables him to
stay close to the pace and has proven on multiple occasions now that he can run
on or close to the lead with fast fractions. The final time for the Belmont was
a very slow 2:30.70, but that can’t dampen my enthusiasm for his win. For
Curlin to get a Grade 1 classic winner in his very first crop of foals is a
huge moment of pride for me. With the Preakness winner finishing second and the
Derby winner finishing third in the Belmont, I think that the top three year
olds have validated their performances in the Classics this year and have shown
admirable consistency. When asked directly after the running of the Belmont
what he thought helped Palace Malice finally find the winners circle, Mike
Smith said it was removing the blinkers. I for one was relieved when I heard he
would be running without the blinkers, as I’m sure many others were too and
without the extra equipment in the way the beautiful bay colt was able to rate,
relax and pounce his way to a perfect Belmont score.
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