Divine Fortune headlines Sheppard trio in A.P. Smithwick

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – The question is not whether trainer Jonathan Sheppard will win the $100,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial Steeplechase at Saratoga for a record seventh time. The question is with which of his potent three-horse entry will he win it – the amazing 11-year-old Divine Fortune, Italian Wedding, or Barnstorming?

The Grade 1 Smithwick will be decided at 2 1/16 miles and goes as the opening event on Thursday’s 10-race program.

Sheppard won four of the nine steeplechase races run here last summer, including the Grade 1 New York Turf Writers Handicap with Italian Wedding. Last week, the Hall of Fame horseman won a race on the flat, the 46th consecutive meet he has won at least one race at Saratoga.

Divine Fortune has become almost as familiar a name to local steeplechase fans as Sheppard, who owns the homebred son of Royal Anthem with William Pape. Divine Fortune raced for the first time at Saratoga in 2007, winning an allowance race over the jumps, and has competed here on a regular basis since 2010, when he won the first of his two successive Smithwick titles.

Divine Fortune may be in the best form of his career, having captured two of his last three starts, the Grade 1 Grand National in October and the Grade 1 Iroquois to kick off his 2014 campaign in May.

“He’s remarkable,” Sheppard said of Divine Fortune. “He’s always been a nice horse, but to finally be able to win his first Grade 1 at the age of 10 is pretty amazing. Bill Pape and I own him together as well as his dam and his granddam, so it means a lot.”

Italian Wedding came to the fore last summer when finishing second in the Smithwick as a prelude to his one-length victory in the New York Turf Writers.

“It’s only recently we’ve been thinking of Italian Wedding in this category, but he was second in the Eclipse voting last year, and he’s been a nice surprise as he’s gotten older,” Sheppard said. “Some of the races, he’s gotten a break in the weights, like in the Turf Writers last year, but he’s still put in some good races at level weights, too.”

Barnstorming’s best performance was his second-place finish in the 2013 Colonial Cup.

Divine Fortune will pack the high weight of 158 pounds, while Italian Wedding carries 154 and Barnstorming 142 under the allowance conditions of the Smithwick.

The English-bred Makari makes his U.S. debut for trainer Elizabeth Voss in the Smithwick. Makari has won five of his last seven starts and gets in under 142 pounds while racing on Lasix for the first time.

Other major contenders in the Smithwick include Demonstrative, who won the New York Turf Writers here in 2012; All Together, the runner-up last summer in both the Turf Writers and Grade 1 Lonesome Glory Handicap; and the 10-year-old veteran Spy in the Sky.