Palace Malice (Curlin), an Eclipse Award finalist as champion older male of
2014 who returned from injury in hopes of more success in 2015, has been
retired. Connections made the announcement Thursday, five days after he worked a
half-mile in :47 4/5 ahead of a projected tilt at the September 5 Woodward (G1).
Hero of the 2013 Belmont S. (G1), the Todd Pletcher trainee turned a rare
double in last year’s Metropolitan H. (G1). The five-year-old will now enter
stud at Three Chimneys near Midway, Kentucky, in 2016.
“It is with great disappointment that we announce the retirement of Palace
Malice,” Dogwood Stable’s President Cot Campbell said. “He is the horse of a
lifetime who has brought our partners exciting memories that will live on
forever. He did it all for us, winning a classic and the Met Mile, and a whole
lot more along the way.
“After getting a clean bill of health in November subsequent to an
uncharacteristic performance in the Whitney (G1) last year, I owed it to my
partners and the fans to give it our best shot to see if we could bring the
mighty son of Curlin back in 2015. Despite our sporting effort, it was not meant
to be.”
Called “the best horse in America” after capturing four graded Stakes in a
row in 2014, including the stallion-making Met Mile, Palace Malice is the
leading earner by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, and retires with career
earnings of $2,691,135. His 19-7-4-2 record also reflects victories the Jim
Dandy (G2), the Gulfstream Park H. (G2), the New Orleans H. (G2) and the
Westchester S. (G3).
“Palace Malice was all class from day one,” Pletcher said. “He was one of
those rare horses whose raw speed allowed him to dominate his division as a
miler yet whose stamina had him winning the Belmont against the best of his
generation.
“He was the most versatile horse I have ever trained, and one of the best.
You don’t see such a talented, multi-dimensional horse like this very often. To
win the Belmont one year and come back the next year and win the Met Mile in
1:33 2/5 — it’s an unbelievable accomplishment, and indicative of his
exceptional talent.”
“Palace Malice is a valuable addition to the strengthening roster at Three
Chimneys, as he possesses a superb physical to go along with an amazing body of
work as a racehorse,” said Doug Cauthen, Vice Chair of the Three Chimneys’
Board. “He sprinted at two, went the classic distance at three, and showed off
his miler versatility at four.
“The retirement of Palace Malice speaks further to Three Chimneys’ narrative
of collaborating with like-minded partners so as to expand its base. John
Malone’s Bridlewood Farm will be a cornerstone partner in the horse, and we
anticipate that a coalition of shareholder partners will be added over the next
month to ensure this extraordinary horse’s chances to succeed at stud.
Grant Williamson, Director of Stallion Nominations and Sales at Three
Chimneys, added, “Palace Malice has the sire power, the looks, and the backing
to be a commercial success as well as to become an important stallion, and we
look forward to showing him during the September Sales.”
A stud fee is yet to be announced.