Sentiment, not history, on side of Makari

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Makari will be a sentimental favorite to win Monday’s Grade 1, $150,000 New York Turf Writers Cup Steeplechase, but he will be bucking two pretty significant historical hurdles.

Makari is trained by Elizabeth Voss, the daughter of Tom Voss, the highly successful steeplechase trainer who died earlier this year at the age of 63. This year’s running of the New York Turf Writers Cup is run in memory of Voss, and members of the family – including Elizabeth’s mother, Mimi – will be making the trophy presentation.

The Turf Writers was rescheduled to Monday from Thursday when it was postponed due to heavy rain. The forecast for Monday is for dry conditions. The Turf Writers goes as the first race on the card that begins at 1 p.m. Eastern.

The race was redrawn, and though all nine of the original horses were entered back, Makari went from the inside to the outside.

Earlier this meet, Makari gave Elizabeth Voss her first winner since she took over her father’s stable when he won the A.P. Smithwick by a nose over Demonstrative, the 2012 New York Turf Writers Cup winner. Only one of the 17 A.P. Smithwick winners – Campanile (1999) – has returned to win the Turf Writers, which at 2 3/8 miles is five-sixteenths farther than the Smithwick.

“He picks up eight more pounds, and he’s never run this distance before, which is another hurdle we have to jump,” Voss said. “But he’s doing great. I have high hopes for him. He had only gotten here 12 days before the [Smithwick]. He’s gotten stronger. He’s training great. He looks better than he did. I think he should handle everything pretty well.”

History says beware Jonathan Sheppard in the Turf Writers. He has won this race 14 times, including last year with Italian Wedding, who comes back for a repeat try Thursday. Sheppard, who first won this race in 1979, also sends Barnstorming.

Last year, Italian Wedding won the Turf Writers after running a good second in the A.P. Smithwick. This year, Italian Wedding, now 9 years old, finished sixth, beaten 11 lengths in the Smithwick.

“I thought he ran okay,” Sheppard said. “It was his first start in a long time. He had slightly interrupted training because of the weather. They went pretty fast, and he’s not that fast a horse.”

The Turf Writers, now run under allowance conditions, means Italian Wedding carries 154 pounds, still spotting Makari four pounds.

Barnstorming has not won since taking the Michael G. Walsh Novice Stakes race here last year. He finished ninth in the Smithwick, his second start of the year after falling in his first start.

“I would be slightly surprised if either one of them won it,” Sheppard said.

Sheppard believes Demonstrative, the winner of this race in 2012 for trainer Richard Valentine, is a candidate to win it again coming off his nose loss to Makari in the Smithwick. Demonstrative has to give only four pounds to Makari as opposed to 12 in the Smithwick.

Pleasant Woodman, who gets in light with 142 pounds, will try to take the field as far as he can on the front end for trainer Paul Fout. In the Smithwick, his first start in 10 weeks, Pleasant Woodman set the pace before finishing third.