Jim Dandy 2013 Results: Palace Malice cruises at the Spa

Belmont Stakes winner Palace Malice stalked the early speed of Moreno through sensible fractions, moved to challenge the pacesetter on the far turn, strode to the lead at the top of the stretch and glided home to win the Grade 2 Jim Dandy by a length under jockey Mike Smith. Will Take Charge, never closer than 12 lengths to the winner at the finish of all three of this year's Triple Crown races, ran a big race to finish second. Pacesetter Moreno held gamely for third while closer Bashaar could only muster a fourth place finish.

The pace of the Jim Dandy was honest but certainly not overly fast, allowing Palace Malice and Mike Smith to sit comfortably off the speed through opening splits of 24.06 and 47.48. By the time the field hit the top of the stretch, the winner had plenty of gas left in the tank and required only mild urging from Smith through the final furlong to claim victory. And while the early fractions were honest, the overall time of the race was quite quick. The final time of 1:47.37 is the fastest Jim Dandy since Louie Quatorez stopped the timer at 1:47.26 in the 1996 version, a performance that stands as the the race record.

Palace Malice is a three-year-old colt by two-time Horse of the Year Curlin, out of a Royal Anthem mare (Palace Rumor), trained by Todd Pletcher and ridden by Mike Smith. The Jim Dandy winner is expected to make his next start in the Midsummer Derby, the Travers Stakes, on August 24th.

Below are the payouts, fractions and internal splits for the Jim Dandy: