Palace ready to resume after freshening

Palace, who turned the Alfred G. Vanderbilt (G1) and Forego (G1) double at Saratoga last summer, is nearing a return for trainer Linda Rice. Fifth in the April 4 Carter (G1) in his last appearance, he subsequently came down with a throat infection.

"We had to treat him," Rice said. "He had a little laser surgery and we turned him out for a month. We were pointing him for the True North ([G2] June 5) and we had a little setback. So then I turned him out to freshen him up for the four Grade 1s that are coming up. I wanted a fresh horse for the sequence."

After his Spa heroics in 2014, Palace went on to finish third in the Vosburgh (G1) at Belmont and sixth in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1). The Carter was his only start of this year. On Thursday at Saratoga, Palace breezed fve-eighths in 1:00.41.

"He is preparing for the Vanderbilt," Rice noted. "There's also a New York-bred race (the $100,000 John Morrissey) on Thursday and I'll kind of look at both races and see what the Vanderbilt looks like. He obviously likes the track; he won two Grade 1s here last year. He's doing really well and he'll run soon."

Palace photo courtesy of NYRA/Adam Coglianese photography.