Palace Malice, Verrazano put finishing touches on Travers preparations
Palace Malice, Verrazano put finishing touches on Travers
preparations
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Trainer Todd Pletcher's dynamic duo of Palace Malice and Verrazano took to Saratoga's fast main track right after the renovation break Sunday morning for their final serious works leading up to Saturday's 144th running of the Grade 1, $1 million Travers. An eager Palace Malice went first under exercise rider Jake Nelson, breezing through a half-mile in :48.21, the 17th fastest of 70 at the distance. A few moments later, Verrazano, with Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez in the irons and working in company, went a half-mile in :48.65, ranking 25th of 70 at the distance. Pletcher said he was very pleased with the way both Palace Malice, winner of the Belmont Stakes in June and the Jim Dandy on July 27 at Saratoga, and Verrazano, triumphant in the Haskell on July 28 at Monmouth Park, look six days out from the 1 1/4-mile "Mid-Summer Derby." "Palace Malice is feeling good," Pletcher said of the Dogwood Stable colorbearer. "He's feeling great, actually, so we were happy to get him on the track. He seems to be thriving. The more he does, the better he gets. "With both horses, it's rare that you go through these Triple Crown prep series, run in the Derby -- and in Palace Malice's case, the Belmont -- and seem to get bigger and stronger and better as you're doing it. I think the key to the really good ones is they're able to withstand those types of campaigns and flourish while doing it."
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Verrazano, owned by the partnership of Let's Go Stable, Mrs. John Magnier,
Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, worked in company with Capo Bastone, who is
unraced since a seventh-place finish in the Woody Stephens on June 8 at Belmont
Park.
"Verrazano always goes in company," Pletcher said. "He's a little different
personality than the other horse. I thought he went very well. His gallop-out
was very good. We kind of flip-flopped their gallop-outs from last week. Palace
Malice last week was a little bit stronger, so we wanted to do a little more on
the day with Verrazano. We got what we were looking for."
The Travers will be the colts' second race at 1 1/4 miles. While Palace
Malice faded to 12th after a setting a torrid pace in the Kentucky Derby, he
went on to prove victorious in the 1 1/2-mile Belmont Stakes. Following his
14th-place finish in the Derby, Verrazano went on to win the Pegasus at 1 1/16
miles and the 1 1/8-mile Haskell.
"With the way the racetrack came up that day in the Haskell, I think any
horse that could handle a mile and an eighth and finish up as strongly as he did
that day can handle a mile and a quarter at Saratoga," Pletcher said of
Verrazano. "That was a very deep, demanding track that day. I think a mile and a
quarter shouldn't be an issue."
Pletcher noted that Verrazano, a son of More Than Ready, and Palace Malice,
by Curlin, have similar pace-pressing running styles.
"Hopefully, (that won't create complications)," said Pletcher. "It will come
down to post positions and Johnny (Velazquez) and Mike (Smith) are going to have
to make decisions on where they want to be. Hopefully, they don't get in each
other's way, but each of them will have to run their own race to try and win.
We'll talk about strategies for each individual horse, and those guys will have
to sort it out."
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