Trainer MARK CASSE and his team had three of the seven entrants in the Grade 2 bet365 Eclipse Stakes on SUPER STAKES SATURDAY at Woodbine, so the odds were in their favour. The $175,000 stakes race was the feature of a four-pack of graded stakes on a perfect first day of June, the first day since opening day that there was a sizable crowd at the track.
The return to Woodbine of Champion three-year-old and King’s Plate winner PARAMOUNT PRINCE and last year’s Champion Older Male TYSON, trained by Josie Carroll, was a big attraction, as was the appearance of Casse-trained millionaire GET SMOKIN, a top turf horse who was experimenting with the Tapeta in his first race since September.
Get Smokin was listed as the 2-to-1 morning line favourite but the fans didn’t bite. Tyson, owned by Hill ‘n’ Dale Equine Holdings and Stretch Run Ventures was the predictable choice while newcomer Skyro, owned by Raroma Stable, took plenty of support at 5-to-2 and Paramount Prince, owned by Mike Langlois and Gary Barber, pegged at 4-to-1.
Barber’s stretch-running PALAZZI, a finalist for Champion Turf Male last year, was getting interest at 6-to-1 while longshots Rondure and J P Hellish completed the field.
The race began as expected with the flashy and large Get Smokin streaking to the lead under visiting rider Fernando de la Cruz. It appeared that BlackRidge Stables and Ironhorse Racing’s seven-year-old was going to be tough to reel in since he put up modest pace fractions of 24.47 and 49.25, although over what was certainly a slow Tapeta surface Saturday.
Paramount Prince, Patrick Husbands up, tracked and J P Hellish was a few lengths back in third. Around the final turn and into the stretch, Get Smokin had a slight lead while Tyson had moved up on the rail and then angled out for a bid. Sahin Civaci aboard Palazzi cued up his bay gelding from more than 10 lengths behind and then began to fly around horses. It was a multiple-horse charge to the finish as Get Smokin was swarmed and Palazzi grabbed the win by half a length over Tyson, who raced on the wrong lead but was a head best of Paramount Prince. Get Smokin was fourth.
The time of 1:43.86 was slightly slower than the time of the Belle Mahone Stakes two races early, won by Fashionably Fab.
It was the first win for Palazzi since he was on a three-race winning streak at Woodbine last June which included the Singspiel Stakes (G3) on turf. The son of Pioneerof the Nile – Kindle by Indian Charlie had three races earlier this year, all on turf, but things didn’t go his way.
“He loves Woodbine and he had awful luck all winter,” said Casse, who cited one race, the Fair Grounds Handicap (G3) where the gelding was stopped cold when trying to mount a rally.
Still, it was an unusual result from a race that went slow early but featured a stretch-running winner.
Originally a $510,000 yearling, Palazzi raced for John Oxley and Casse early in his career. In his sixth career race, he won the Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston following his maiden win, but he would go 12 races without a win for Oxley after that.
Barber purchased the horse at the 2022 Keeneland November Horses of Racing Age sale for just $35,000. The gelding was fifth in a $50,000 claiming race at Gulfstream the following March before heading to Woodbine. The Eclipse was his fourth attempt on Tapeta and second win. The $105,000 he earned for the Eclipse win put him over $600,000 in earnings. He has won six of 28 races in his career.
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