Demonstrative the top weight in Lonesome Glory
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Summering at Saratoga proved time well spent for the seven-year-old gelding Demonstrative, who'll be favored to continue his recent success in Thursday's Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap, a 2 1/2-mile hurdle over Belmont Park's inner turf. A nose second to the ill-fated Makari in the A.P. Smithwick Memorial at Saratoga on July 31, Demonstrative rebounded to take the August 25 New York Turf Writers Cup by a half-length over returning rival Barnstorming. It was Demonstrative's second win in the Turf Writers Cup, having taken the race in 2012, and his first win of any kind since a photo-finish nod in the Iroquois at Percy Warner Park in May 2013. The multiple Grade 1-winning son of Elusive Quality, who will carry top weight of 158 pounds, has raced over hurdles at Belmont twice previously. Fourth by 4 1/4 lengths in the 2013 Lonesome Glory, Demonstrative registered a seven-length win in the 2011 Entenmann Memorial, which will be renewed as the first race on Thursday's Belmont program. |
Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard will have a three-horse entry consisting of
the aforementioned Barnstorming, 2013 divisional champion Divine Fortune, and
Bluegrass Summer. While Barnstorming remains in search of his first top-level
win, the venerable Divine Fortune will attempt to get back to the form that saw
him win the three-mile Iroquois by 3 1/4 lengths back in May. The 11-year-old
left the course prior to the ninth fence in the Smithwick last time.
Bluegrass Summer, meanwhile, steps up in class after securing minor checks in
the Jonathan Kiser and Michael G. Walsh -- a pair of novice stakes at Saratoga.
All Together, runner-up last year in the New York Turf Writers Cup and
Lonesome Glory, enters this race off fourth-place finishes in the Smithwick and
Turf Writers Cup. The field is rounded out by For Non Stop, Spy in the Sky, and
Parker's Project.
The $75,000 Entenmann Memorial, for novices over 2 1/4 miles, features a
field of nine, including Schoodic and Address Unknown, the one-two finishers from the August 14 Michael G.
Walsh. Syros, a five-length allowance winner at
Saratoga last month, also figures to attract support.
An interesting entrant is One Giant Step, who returns to action off a
three-year layoff for Sheppard. He was the distant runner-up behind
Demonstrative in the 2011 edition of the race.
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