Proven Innocent hopes to return another winning verdict in G1 A.P. Smithwick Memorial

Bruton Street-US’s Proven Innocent will look to double up on Grade 1 victories for Hall of Fame trainer Jack Fisher in Wednesday’s Grade 1, $150,000 A.P. Smithwick Memorial, a 2 3/8-mile steeplechase handicap for older horses, at Saratoga Race Course.

Proven Innocent arrives from a determined three-quarter-length triumph in the Grade 1 Beverly R. Steinman over course and distance on June 4 during the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival. There, he trailed a distant last-of-7 early but made progress to be within 2 3/4 lengths of the lead after 1 1/2 miles. He lost position a bit after two miles, but recovered well to find enough in the lane to collar Evie’s Prince in the final strides. He completed the course in 4:39.20.

“It was nice,” said Fisher, who sent out Bruton Street-US’s Ziggle Pops to win last year’s Smithwick. “He’s doing good. I think it’s very difficult to win back-to-back races up here simply because you get the weight added to you.”

Proven Innocent has thrived at Wednesday’s distance, boasting a 3-for-4 record that includes back-to-back wins in 2022 in an allowance here and a head score in the William Entenmann Novice at Belmont at the Big A. He makes his fourth start of his 7-year-old campaign, which began in April with a third in Foxfield’s Good Night Shirt, named for the Fisher-trained Hall of Famer that won eight Grade 1 steeplechase events.

Bred in Kentucky by Stuart S. Janney, III, the Blame gray is out of the multiple stakes-placed A.P. Indy mare Meghan’s Joy, making Proven Innocent a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaires On Leave and Ironicus.

Jamie Bargary will be aboard at 152 pounds.

Fisher will also send out Riverdee Stable and Ten Strike Racing’s Grade 1-winner Awakened [Graham Watters, 152 pounds] makes his first start in this event after a third in the Steinman 3 1/4 lengths behind his stablemate. He briefly held a head lead at the stretch call, but was worn down in the stretch and settled for the minor awards.

“I think he can improve from his last race,” Fisher said. “I think he needed the race. He kind of went, but then he kind of stayed.”

The 8-year-old Curlin gelding notched his lone stakes win in the 2023 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap over course and distance, pouncing from ninth-of-10 to win by one length over returning rival Jimmy P.

Awakened makes just his second start of the year, his Steinman effort coming off a more than one-year layoff. Out of the multiple graded stakes-winning A.P. Indy mare Daydreaming, Awakened is a half-brother to multiple graded stakes-winning millionaire Imagining, multiple stakes-placed Reflecting, stakes-placed Browse, and Snooze, the second dam of Grade 1-winner Chocolate Gelato.

Trainer Keri Brion also sends out steep opposition in the form of three contenders, saddling Grade 1-winner Jimmy P [Stephen Mulqueen, 156 pounds], Grade 1-placed Historic Heart [Danny Mullins, 150 pounds] and three-time winner Kitten Around [Freddie Procter, 142 pounds].

Jimmy P, a Kentucky homebred for Madaket Stables and co-owned by Molly Willis and Paul Willis, is in search of his first win since an astounding 34 1/2-length tour de force in last year’s Grade 1 Jonathan Sheppard Handicap, his first top-level victory in his fifth attempt. Zarak the Brave was favored to win the race in his first stateside outing, but fell after the first half-mile.

“It was like he was shot out of a cannon,” Brion said of Jimmy P, with a laugh. “I think the two and three-eighths miles hits him right between the eyes. Obviously the Jonathan Sheppard was a huge run, and even beyond that, he always seems to show up and run well at Saratoga. This is his spot.

“Normally when it gets to be hot and the summertime, horses kind of get dull and whatnot, but he’s the opposite,” Brion added. “He loves summertime, and he’s doing really, really well. He’ll have his final breeze tomorrow on the turf course at Fair Hill. He just has to show back up.”

Jimmy P enters from a stalking fourth in the Grade 1 Iroquois traveling three miles on May 10 at Percy Warner, where he finished 9 1/4 lengths behind the victorious Abaan with Snap Decision second and Vae Patron third. Brion added blinkers for the effort, which she said the Slumber gelding will wear again on Wednesday.

“His run in the Iroquois was actually quite good. He was fourth against three horses that he won’t be facing here,” Brion commented. “I’m excited to run him here. The blinkers are just to keep him traveling early a bit better, and it just seems to keep him in the race a bit more. In the past, he tended to kind of back himself out and hit a flat spot in his running. I thought he ran well with them at Nashville, so we will keep them on.”

Atlantic Friends Racing’s Historic Heart makes his second start off a nearly two-year layoff, looking to make amends for a troubled start in a 2 1/4-mile allowance on April 20 at Morven Park where he stumbled and lost the rider after 1 1/2 miles.

“It was unfortunate, but it was an apprentice race and he didn’t do too much wrong,” Brion explained. “He slipped the reins out of the rider’s hands and kind of took a dive at it. He was totally fine and didn’t fall, and he cantered home with no issues.”

Historic Heart has run well off a long respite before. He returned from a one-year layoff to run fourth in a flat maiden in July 2023 at Delaware Park in prep for a game runner-up effort to Belfast Banter in that year’s Smithwick 18 days later.

“He’s been working right alongside Jimmy P heading into this race,” Brion said. “I expect a big run and he loves Saratoga, too. He ran second in this race off a long layoff with no preps over jumps at all. He’s a really nice horse, and he’s coming ready to go.”

Completing the Brion triad is Kitten Around, who Brion co-owns with Upland Flats Racing and Dark Horse Racing. The Flintshire gelding was not initially considered for this race, but Brion called an audible after he attempted Wednesday’s Jonathan Kiser Novice and was pulled up after two fences due to a slipped saddle.

“It was unfortunate, but he’s up here and he’s training great,” Brion said of the mishap. “He had a little blowout over two or three hurdles this week, so why not? If anything, I think it helps. This was not the plan by any means, but he gets in at a nice, light weight and he’s training great.”

Kitten Around entered the Kiser from a 1 3/4-length handicap victory traveling 2 1/4 miles on July 18 at Colonial Downs. He will make his graded debut in the Smithwick, as well as his first start beyond 2 1/4 miles.

The field is completed by dual graded stakes-placed Who’s Counting, who is trained and ridden by Sean McDermott [150 pounds, blinkers OFF]; dual stakes-winner Zarak the Brave [Evan Dwan, 158 pounds, cheek pieces ON] for trainer Thomas Garner; and novice stakes-winner Howyabud [Gerard Galligan, 150 pounds] for trainer Cyril Murphy.

The Smithwick is slated as Race 1 on Wednesday’s nine-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Eastern. 

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