Quinzieme Monarque Returns in Palm Beach

John M.B. O’Connor’s 3-year-old Quinzieme Monarque is entered to make his 2013 season debut in Sunday’s $150,000 Palm Beach Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park for trainer Tom Albertrani, his first start since finishing fourth of 10 in the Remsen Stakes (G2) at Aqueduct on Nov. 24 behind Overanalyze and Normandy Invasion.

“We thought the Palm Beach was a good place to get him started on a new season with the timing, the mile-and-an-eighth distance and the turf,” said Albertrani from Palm Meadows. “Although he ran all right on dirt last year, I think he’s a little better on turf, although I’d rather not see any rain. I don’t think he cared for the ‘yielding’ ground he got in the Pilgrim.”

A son of Rock Hard Ten, Quinzieme Monarque finished fourth in his career debut going seven furlongs on turf in mid-July at Belmont Park and cane back to finish fourth again in a seven-furlong ‘off the turf’ test over a ‘sloppy’ track at Saratoga in August.

In his third start, Quinzieme Monarque was very impressive stretching out to 1 1/16 miles back at Belmont in mid-September when he broke his maiden by 4 ¾ lengths before the fourth-place try behind Noble Tune in the Pilgrim Stakes (G3) at Belmont on Oct. 8 before the Remsen.