The least-regarded of the Mark Casse trio heading into the June 1 Eclipse Stakes (G2), Palazzi proved to be the best of them all with a dramatic victory in the first big prize of the year for older horses in Canada.
Winless in five starts since the Singspiel Stakes (G3T) last September, Palazzi was making his first Woodbine start of the year following a hard-luck winter campaign in Louisiana for trainer Casse. Dismissed at 6-1 odds in the field of seven, Palazzi and jockey Sahin Civaci found themselves at the back of the pack as his Casse stablemates Get Smokin and Paramount Prince led the brigade through early fractions of :24.47 and :49.25.
“I did want to be coming off the pace,” said Civaci, who was also aboard the Gary Barber-owned gelding for the Singspiel win. “There were a few speed horses here and I thought that’s the only chance we have. Staying mid-pack, he won’t fire as well as he would. That was the plan and it worked out.”
Still fifth as the field turned for home, Palazzi surged widest of all and bore down on his barnmates, who were joined by favored Tyson in the final furlong. The quartet surged in unison to the wire, with Palazzi prevailing by a half-length over Tyson in 1:43.86 for the 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic main track. Paramount Prince, the 2023 King’s Plate winner, was another head back in third, three-quarters of a length better than Get Smokin in fourth.
Palazzi ($15.10), a 6-year-old son of Pioneerof the Nile, improved his career bankroll to $582,511. The Eclipse was the second stakes score for Palazzi since he sold for $35,000 at the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age Sale.
Bred in Kentucky by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing and Pioneerof the Nile Syndicate, Palazzi is out of the graded stakes-placed Indian Charlie mare Kindle and is a half sibling to the stakes-winning Tiznow gelding Made in America . The gelding is one of two graded stakes winners this year, along with Fair Grounds Stakes (G3T) victor Beatbox , sired by the late Pioneerof the Nile.
Video: bet365 Eclipse S. (G2)
Earlier on the Card
- Flag Of Honour ($5.60) wired the field in the CA$138,780 Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) under jockey Kazushi Kimura. The American Pharoah gelding, trained by Julia Carey for R. M. and Mrs. J. M. Wanless, raced the six furlongs in 1:09.79 on the main track.
- Terra Racing Stable’s homebred Fashionably Fab ($16.20) won her fifth straight race in the CA$152,280 Belle Mahone Stakes (G3). Fashionably Fab, ridden by Pietro Moran for trainer Kevin Attard, clocked the 1 1/16 miles on the synthetic in 1:43.73.
- Mark Casse-trained Play the Music ($6) made it back-to-back stakes scores in the CA$144,100 Royal North Stakes (G3T) for older fillies and mares traveling 6 1/2 furlongs on the turf. The Glassman Racing-owned daughter of Mo Town was timed in 1:14.85 over the firm turf course under jockey Patrick Husbands.
