SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Keri Brion was in Ireland in March when she learned the New York Turf Writers’ Cup Steeplechase was being renamed the Jonathan Sheppard. Brion, an 11-year assistant of Sheppard’s, at the time thought she would really like to have a starter in the Grade 1 event at Saratoga. Five months later, with the race set to be run Wednesday, Brion has half the field in the Jonathan Sheppard, led by Baltimore Bucko and French Light, the 1-2 finishers in the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick here four weeks ago. Brion also sends out A Silent Prayer and The Mean Queen, the 5-year-old mare who was on her way to victory in the Jonathan Kiser Novice Stakes before jockey Thomas Garner fell off. Sheppard had won the New York Turf Writers’ 15 times, and it was only fitting the race be named in honor of the Hall of Fame trainer following his retirement announcement in January. “To have half the field, when you didn’t even know what your future was going to be, you couldn’t script it how it’s all worked out,” Brion said. “Hopefully, one could do it. It would mean a lot to do it with one of his owners who stayed loyal.” Baltimore Bucko was a dominant 5 3/4-length winner of the 2 1/16-mile A.P. Smithwick. He picks up 14 pounds from that race and will carry top weight of 156 pounds – conceding 4 to 14 pounds to the rest of field – and will again try to take this 2 3/8-mile race in front-running fashion. “He carried close to 160 in Ireland; the weight itself doesn’t bother me,” Brion said. “His running style, he’s going to do the same thing, and I think he should like the extra distance.” None of Brion’s other three runners in the field are going to try and go with Baltimore Bucko and jockey Richard Condon early. However, The Mean Queen showed enough tactical speed to lay close early if Garner elects. It was Garner who hit The Mean Queen right-handed when already clear in the stretch of the Kiser. That caused The Mean Queen to duck in suddenly, and Garner fell off. Garner had ridden Baltimore Bucko to victory in the Smithwick. According to Brion, Garner had the option of which horse to ride and chose The Mean Queen. “No one wants to redeem himself more than Tom,” Brion said. “It was a good group of horses that she was annihilating at the time when that happened.” According to Brion, jockey Jamie Bargary is in the United States specifically to ride for owner Irwin Naylor, which is why he has the mount on French Light on Wednesday. “I think Jamie has had a lot of time to prepare for this now,” Brion said. “He watched replays, he worked the horse, he schooled the horse. I think he’s going to run a very big race.” On paper, A Silent Prayer looks like the least likely of the four to win the Sheppard. But Brion noted that A Silent Prayer broke a leg winning a race last November and the Kiser was his first start since. “It’s hard to get a horse back to peak fitness without a run,” Brion said. “He’s come out of the race in really good form.” Barry Foley rides A Silent Prayer. Perhaps a name change of the race will help change the luck of trainer Jack Fisher, who on Aug. 6 was inducted into the Hall of Fame. Fisher has never won the New York Turf Writers’, starting 30 horses in 17 runnings. Wednesday, he’ll send out Gibralfaro, second in this race in 2019 and fourth last year, and City Dreamer, second in the Kiser Stakes. Gibralfaro was third behind Baltimore Bucko and French Light in the Smithwick. “Gibralfaro, I thought could be reasonably tough if the ground is firm,” Fisher said. “Looking at the forecast, it looks like rain up there and he hates it soft.” Fisher said he is “just taking a shot” with City Dreamer. :: Visit DRF's Saratoga shop for all your handicapping needs: Past performances, picks, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, and more Redicean has run just once since finishing second in last year’s running of this race for trainer Leslie Young, and that was a fourth-place finish in the Smithwick. He won the Kiser Stakes here in 2019. The Sheppard, run over National fences, goes as the opening race on Saratoga’s 10-race card, which begins at 1:05 p.m.