Palazzi (Michael Burns)
Chris Lomon/Woodbine Communications
TORONTO— Palazzi, trained by dual Hall of Famer Mark Casse, dug down deep to take the $175,000 bet365 Eclipse Stakes on Saturday afternoon at Woodbine.
Making his seventh straight graded stakes appearance, 6-year-old Palazzi, whose last victory came in the Singspiel (G3T) at Woodbine last September, was back in winning form courtesy of a rousing performance in the Eclipse, a 1 1/16-mile main track affair for 4-year-olds and up.
Multiple graded stakes victor Get Smokin, who was supplemented to the race, stormed to the front and led Paramount Prince, last year’s King’s Plate winner, by two lengths through an opening panel in :24.47. Palazzi, under Sahn Civaci, sat last of seven.
Get Smokin and Paramount Prince, also Casse pupils, continued to set the pace through a half in :49.25, while Palazzi remained seventh.
It was status quo for the leaders around the turn, but others, including Palazzi and multiple stakes winner Tyson, soon arrived on the scene.
Fifth at the stretch call, Palazzi, on the far outside, was able to reel in his two game stablemates and fend off a hard-charging Tyson to earn a half-length win a time of 1:43.86. Tyson finished a head in front of Paramount Prince, while Get Smokin was a further three-quarters of a length back in fourth. War Bomber, who contested the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier earlier on the card, was scratched.
“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.”
“Usually, he’s really calm in post parade, but today he was more active and bouncing around here and there. I’ve been working him this season throughout, and he’s been working great.”
Bred by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing LLC & Pioneerof the Nile Syndicate, the well-travelled son of Pioneerof the Nile-Kindle broke his maiden in his fifth start, at 15-1, in a one-mile turf race at Fair Grounds on December 19, 2020. His first stakes success came in the 2021 running of the Texas Turf Mile Stakes at Sam Houston.
Palazzi paid $15.10 for today’s win.
