Winston C picks up 10 pounds off Smithwick win in New York Turf Writers Cup

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – It has been 20 years since the winner of the A.P. Smithwick came back to win the New York Turf Writers Cup Steeplechase at Saratoga.

It was Campanile, trained by Janet Elliot, who pulled off the double in 1999. Thursday, fellow Hall of Fame trainer Jonathan Sheppard looks to pull off the feat when he sends out Winston C in the 78th running of the Turf Writers, run at 2 3/8 miles at Saratoga. Sheppard has won the Turf Writers 14 times, but not since 2013.

Winston C, who won the Smithwick by 3 1/2 lengths here July 25, will face eight rivals, seven of whom he defeated handily in the Smithwick. The other entrant is Portrade, who won the Turf Writers in 2016 but who hasn’t won since.

Winston C has made two starts in this country, finishing third in the Marcellus Frost Champion Hurdle at Percy Warner in Nashville before rallying from last to win the Smithwick. He displayed a very strong run over the flats, as steeplechase races in Saratoga are run with a half-mile flat run to the finish.

“It’s a tall order, he’s gone up 10 pounds in the weights,” Sheppard said. “The horse is training well. He’s doing good. We’re hopeful.”

As the 154-pound highweight, Winston C is conceding 8 to 12 pounds to the field.

At 2 3/8 miles, the Turf Writers is five-sixteenths farther than the Smithwick.

“I think he would quite like that,” Sheppard said. “I wouldn’t anticipate that being a problem.”

Sheppard also sends out All the Way Jose, who is likely to be a pace factor. All the Way Jose, who finished third in this race in 2017 and sixth last year, comes off a fifth-place finish in the Smithwick.

Sheppard said jockey Gerard Galligan told him All the Way Jose in the Smithwick “ran even paced. When they kicked in down the backside, he just couldn’t quite kick with them. He thought the longer distance would suit him.”

Jack Fisher sends out three horses in the Turf Writers, including Hinterland and Gibralfaro, who finished third and fourth, respectively, in the Smithwick. Peppay Le Pugh finished ninth.

Fisher was most disappointed in the Smithwick performance of Gibralfaro.

“I thought he’d run much better than he did,” Fisher said.

Elizabeth Voss, a two-time Turf Writers Cup winner, also entered three in the Smithwick. No Wunder and Modem finished seventh and 11th, respectively, in the Smithwick. Portrade has been pulled up in both of his starts this year, which came off a two-year layoff.

Belisarius, who is cross-entered in Wednesday’s Michael Walsh Novice Stakes here, completes the field.