Palace Malice has options for next start

By: SPORTS NETWORK

Saratoga Springs, NY (Sports Network) - Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice came out of his fourth-place finish in the Travers Stakes in fine shape and will now sit back until his next start.

"The horse is perfectly fine - again he's bounced out of a race as if there was little exertion," said owner Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stable. "We all know we ran the best horse (and no less authority than Wayne Lukas, trainer of the horse that won it) volunteered that to me on Sunday.

"The only good thing about the race is that he again validated his class and ability."

Trained by Todd Pletcher, Palace Malice is likely to make his next start versus older horses in the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park on Sept. 28.

"We have several options for the future," Campbell continued. "One of those will be the Pennsylvania Derby at Parx which is on Sept. 21 and is exclusively for 3-year-olds. The purse is $1,000,000 and it is a Grade 2. There's much to be said for this.

"The other race is the Jockey Club Gold Cup ... It is a mile and a quarter, also $1,000,000 and a Grade 1. Either race would serve as a good intermediate step toward the Breeders' Cup on Nov. 2.

"We'll sit tight and see who goes where and this weekend's entries for the Woodward would shed a little light on the situation."

Palace Malice was coming into the Travers off a length win over eventual Travers champ Will Take Charge in Saratoga's Jim Dandy Stakes. He was the 2-1 second pick in the nine-horse field for the "Mid-Summer Derby."

"As we all know, the horse broke last, stumbled and Mike Smith's only choice was to try to creep into contention. He was only beaten a length for the win," Campbell said.

Palace Malice has three wins in 10 career races for $1,281,135.