Sheppard hoping Jose delivers

ELMONT, N.Y. – Before trainer Jonathan Sheppard runs All the Way Jose in Thursday’s Grade 1, $150,000 Lonesome Glory Handicap at Belmont Park, he will be rooting for the remnants of Hurricane Jose to come this way.

Earlier this year, All the Way Jose handled soft ground winning an overnight handicap at Fair Hill in Maryland. The local forecast calls for as much as two inches of rain to fall here Tuesday into Wednesday, which could still leave some give in the ground come Thursday. The Lonesome Glory is scheduled for 2 1/2 miles.

“A bit of cut in the ground would be to his advantage,” Sheppard said. “He handles it well and it slows the speed down a little bit. That was a fairly solid field he beat in the overnight handicap. They were nice enough horses. This is a little bit tougher race.”

The Lonesome Glory, which goes as race 2, is one of two steeplechase events scheduled for Thursday’s 10-race card at Belmont Park. There is also the $75,000 William Entenmann Memorial Hurdle.

All the Way Jose looks like he could be the pacesetter in the Lonesome Glory. He was up close in the New York Turf Writers Cup and finished third, 4 3/4 lengths behind winner Diplomat, who is not in the Lonesome Glory.

Sheppard said that jockey Darren Nagle told him he could have been a little more aggressive in the early stages of the Turf Writers, but didn’t want to get into a speed duel with Sheppard’s other horse, Alcazar de Maram.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see him close to the pace or on the pace, particularly off the jockey’s comments,” Sheppard said.

All the Way Jose gets in with 142 pounds, gettting 14 pounds from probable favorite Modem and 10 from Hinterland.

Modem, trained by Elizabeth Voss, finished second in both the A.P. Smithwick and New York Turf Writers in his only starts in the U.S. He looks like a horse that will enjoy more distance.

Hinterland finished second in the Lonesome Glory in 2015 and was away from the races for 19 months due to a bowed tendon. He returned to the races in May with a second-place finish behind the division’s best horse, Scorpiancer, in the Grade 1 Iroquois in Tennessee.

Trainer Jack Fisher, who won this race last year with Scorpiancer, said rain would help Hinterland but might be detrimental to his other horse in the race, Mr. Hot Stuff.

“Jose will help Hinterland,” Fisher said.

Completing the field are Swansea Mile, upset winner of the Grade 1 A.P. Smithwick; Charminster, third in this race last year; Simenon; and Casino Markets.

◗ Moscato, the 9 3/4-length winner of the Michael G. Walsh Stakes at Saratoga, looks like the horse to beat in the Entemann, scheduled for 2 1/4 miles.

Moscato has 3 wins and 2 seconds in 5 starts this year. His competition in the field of eight figures to come from Mutasaawy, No Wonder, and New Member.