Demonstrative faces old foe Divine Fortune in Smithwick Memorial

Demonstrative faces old foe Divine Fortune in Smithwick

Memorial

Demonstrative, a close runner-up in the balloting for 2012 champion

steeplechaser, could become the early favorite for divisional honors this year

with a victory in Thursday's Grade 1, $100,000

A.P.

Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga. A field of eight will travel 2 1/16 miles

over National Fences in the Smithwick, a tune-up for $150,000 New York Turf

Writers Cup on August 22.

Hero of the Turf Writers Cup and Jonathan Kiser for novices at Saratoga last

summer, Demonstrative concluded a notable 2012 campaign with a one-length win in

the Colonial Cup at Camden. However, a 10-length loss in the Grand National

ultimately swayed more Eclipse Award votes to Pierrot Lunaire, who captured the

championship in a 116-99 decision.

Demonstrative kicked off 2013 on a winning note on May 11 in the Iroquois at

Nashville. The Elusive Quality gelding needed nearly every yard of the

three-mile test to run down Divine Fortune in the final strides to post the neck

victory under Robbie Walsh, who will guide the six-year-old in the Smithwick.

Divine Fortune, who captured back-to-back runnings of the Smithwick in

2010-11, has not won a stakes in two years, but continues to go strong at age

10. One of three Smithwick entrants trained by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard,

Divine Fortune has run second in the last two runnings of the Iroquois and the

Colonial Cup, and also missed by less than a length to Pierre Lunaire in the

Grand National last October.

Divine Fortune races as an entry with Italian Wedding, a novice stakes winner

at Saratoga two years ago. Sheppard also saddles English import Hunt Ball, who

won at the prestigious Cheltenham festival in 2012.

Spy in the Sky, a 25-1 upset winner of the 2012 Smithwick Memorial, later

finished third in the Turf Writers Cup and was a nose behind Pierre Lunaire in

the Lonesome Glory at Belmont Park. Unplaced in the Colonial Cup and the May 17

National Hunt Cup in his last two attempts over hurdles, the nine-year-old

trailed in his allowance prep on the flat at Belmont in early July.

The Smithwick field is completed by Meganisi, another English import; Mr. Hot

Stuff, who won the restricted Marcellus Frost for novices in May; and the

front-running Brave Prospect.

The richest flat race on Thursday's Saratoga program is the $100,000

John

Morrissey, a 6 1/2-furlong dash for older New York-breds. The top three

finishers in the June 30 Shy Groom at Belmont -- Saratoga Snacks, Mine Over

Matter and B Shanny -- are joined by the Affirmed Success Handicap and Hollie

Hughes winner Saginaw, and by Night Maneuver, a sharp allowance winner for Gary

Contessa at Saratoga on July 20.

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