After a great weekend for Midlantic breds at Saratoga that saw Future Is Now and Book’em Danno win their respective stakes races, this week starts off with the Grade I A.P. Smithwick Memorial Handicap over the fences. In race one on Wednesday, this two and three-eighth mile turf steeplechase will pit some of the best hurdlers against each other with the inside breaking Who’s Counting making his second start at the Spa. In a field of eight with plenty of accomplished steeplechase runners, this seven year old gelding enters with the highest earnings of the bunch as well as the most starts with thirty-two. Starting at 8/1 on the morning line, time will tell if that experience is enough to tackle the top contenders here and continue the win streak for Midlantic runners over this track.

Bred in Maryland by South Branch Equine LLC, who is also the owner, Who’s Counting has the distinction of not only having the same breeder and owner but also a dual jockey-trainer. Sean McDermott is an Irish jockey who has won over one-hundred jumper races overseas including at the Grade I level. Around five years ago, McDermott began training and even took over some of the horses he also guided on the steeplechase circuit. Who’s Counting is one of his runners that he trains and also is the primary rider for on both sides of the Atlantic.

While this gelding by Vancouver (AUS) – Counter Measure, by Henrythenavigator has had varying success as a jumper over the last year, he is still frequently competitive and even won a race on the flat turf course at Laurel in September. His most recent try also came over a flat surface over Delaware’s turf course, where McDermott ceded his riding duties to J.G. Torrealba who also piloted Who’s Counting in his Laurel win in the fall. For this bay seven year old to be winner in the A.P. Smithwick, he will have to put forth a career best effort as a jumper, and may need a little boost from his conditioner and jockey to get the job done. Even if Who’s Counting isn’t able to finish on top, his eighteen for twenty-eight finishes in the money on turf should give him a good chance to at least hit the board. The A.P. Smithwick goes off at 1:10 PM EST and is the first race on Saratoga’s Wednesday card.

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