Velazquez to ride Palace Malice

Palace Malice will pick up the services of John Velazquez in the $5 million

Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita on November 2, Dogwood Stables president

Cot Campbell announced Tuesday.

Mike Smith had ridden the three-year-old colt in his last five starts, but

the Hall of Famer will be aboard Game On Dude in the Classic.

"Mike Smith predictably will reunite with Game on Dude, probable Classic

favorite, and his mount in five previous graded stakes victories," Campbell

said. "We are sorry to lose him, as he has won the Belmont Stakes and the Jim

Dandy, and was recently a good second on Palace Malice in the Jockey Club Gold

Cup at Belmont Park.

"But we are overjoyed to get another Hall of Fame rider in Johnny V. He'll

fit him like a glove."

Palace Malice has raced nine times in 2013, posting a 2-3-1 mark while

"thriving on a busy schedule for trainer Todd Pletcher." He's earned $1,481,135

in his career.

Campbell said Palace Malice would be shipped to Lexington, Kentucky, after

the Breeders' Cup, get a routine physical with Dr. Robert Copelan, and then go

into winter quarters at Dogwood's barn in Aiken, South Carolina.

"We have heard from many breeders concerning his stallion career, but we are

racing people and fully expect to race him next year," Campbell said.

Palace Malice was purchased for $200,000 at the 2012 Keeneland April

two-year-old sale. By Curlin and out of the Royal Anthem mare Palace Rumor, he

trained in Aiken for several months and then was sent to Pletcher, who has

trained for Dogwood for 17 years.

"The city of Aiken -- famous horse town that it is -- has gone wild over the

horse, and will be overjoyed to have him here at Brad Stauffer's facility. We

will set up guidelines so folks can see him train every other morning, and set a

time when he will be grazed in the afternoon," Campbell said.

Palace Malice is owned by a five-person Dogwood partnership consisting of

Paul Oreffice, Margaret Smith, Michael Schneider, Carl Myers and Charles Pigg.

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