Multiple Grade 1 winner Palace Malice threw a shoe while galloping Jan. 28 and sustained a minor bruise to his left front foot, causing a slight delay in his training regimen in Aiken, S.C.
The 5-year-old son of Curlin turned in his first breeze of 2015 Jan. 22 in Aiken after returning to conditioning mid-November after a layoff at Three Chimneys Farm. He did not train the morning of Jan. 29 and will not breeze Jan. 30 as was originally planned by his connections.
Owned by Dogwood Stable in partnership with Three Chimneys, he was scheduled to return to trainer Todd Pletcher in Florida Feb. 1, and will now have that trip postponed as well.
"It looks very minor but we're going to get him right, which we expect to do in a few days, and then regroup and either breeze him here next week or send him down to Todd," Dogwood president Cot Campbell said Jan. 29. "That's indefinite until he gets right, and we have every reason to believe he will recover shortly."
Palace Malice's connections have mapped out a five-race campaign for the winner of the 2013 Belmont Stakes, beginning with the Westchester Stakes at Belmont Park in May and culminating in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Keeneland. Other stops along the way are likely to include the Metropolitan Handicap at Belmont, the Whitney Handicap at Saratoga Race Course, and the Jockey Club Gold Cup back at Belmont.
"I think we're fine, but we want to get him right," Campbell said. "We're very optimistic."
In 2014 Palace Malice won the Gulfstream Park Handicap, New Orleans Handicap, Westchester, and Met Mile before an off-the-board finish in the Whitney. His season was good enough to earn him a finalist placing in the Eclipse Award balloting for champion older male.
Palace Malice was originally retired from racing, but after an extensive veterinary examination found him sound and fully recovered from a bone bruise suffered during his unplaced Whitney run, he rehabbed at Three Chimneys. He then shipped to Aiken to get back in condition under the supervision of Brad Stauffer and Ron Stevens before returning to the racetrack.
Three Chimneys bought a half interest in Palace Malice from Dogwood in September. Upon his retirement, the Kentucky operation will acquire full ownership of the colt. This year he is slated to race in the name of Three Chimneys Farm/Dogwood Stable.
Palace Malice is the winner of six graded stakes and is Curlin's top earner with current career earnings of $2,676,135. Bred in Kentucky by William S. Farish out of the Royal Anthem mare Palace Rumor, he was a $200,000 purchase by Dogwood from the Niall Brennan consignment at the 2012 Keeneland April 2-year-olds in training sale, after being pinhooked by Colin Brennan for $25,000 from the 2011 Keeneland September yearling sale when consigned by Lane's End.