(Note: This is the second of two parts. Part one ran in last weekend’s Recorder.)

SARATOGA, N.Y. — More apt words were never spoken than by Jennifer Durenberger after the A.P. Smithwick Memorial steeplechase was postponed.

“Steeplechase and thunder are old friends every summer at Saratoga,” said the former Jockey Club steward.

The race was named for A.P. “Paddy” Smithwick (1927-73) who rode 398 winners and was inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame located on Union Avenue.

Everyone involved went home and returned four days later, including Rug Howard and myself. Rug’s a National Steeplechase steward and former classmate who invited me to inspect the course and watch the race with him.

This time I remembered to wear boots that could handle both the lumpy dirt track and heavy wet turf course. Ranchera and mariachi music wafted toward us from where workers were shoveling a mixture of dirt and grass seed from the back of an ATV to fill divots from the previous day’s races.

“Good morning gentlemen,” said Graham Watters who was riding Ziggle Pops in the A.P. Smithwick. Watters was walking the course and checking for biases, as were several others like Parker Hendricks who’d be aboard Going Country, and Jordan Gainford who was on the co-favorite, L’Imperator.

Rug stopped at each fence and made sure the nuts and bolts in the stabilizer bars were tight and made sure the heavy green rolls were firm against the fences. “That ain’t moving,” he said. “They do a great job of tying these down.”

A Very British Endeavor

In 1752, two Irish foxhunters raced steeple to steeple from Buttevant Church to St. Mary’s in Doneraile, County Cork, and thus began a sport that’s huge in Great Britain, France and in the colonies to some extent.

How huge? In April, millions watched the 176th Grand National  at Aintree Racecourse near Liverpool, where jockey Paul Townend rode an eight-year-old bay gelding named I Am Maximus nearly 4 1/2 miles and over 30 fences to take the winner’s share of the approximate $1.3 million purse.

Of the 32-horse field, seven were pulled up and four unseated their riders.

The sport never quite caught on in America except for the upper crust who gladly carry on at parimutuel tracks like Saratoga. “It used to be a race a day except Saturdays, but popularity waned,” said Rug. “People don’t bet them like they used to but the New York Racing Association generously has them and I still get to do something I love.”

Jockey vs. Steward

After Rug finished his inspection, we walked over to the racing office and waited for Bill Gallo. Tall, tanned and impeccably dressed, Gallo is the National Steeplechase Association’s Director of Racing. He wore a blue blazer over a powder blue tie that was dotted with dozens of tiny steeplechase riders.

After some small talk, Gallo checked his watch and nodded toward a cluster of small buildings where the riders were waiting in an alcove outside the jockey room. Jordan Gainford sat at a picnic table smoking a cigarette. Others were taping over advertising that was embroidered on their racing silks.

“Happy?” one of them snarked. “I’m happy if you’re happy.”

The field was composed of seven horses going 2 3/8 miles over nine fences. Seven horses, seven riders, and Gallo introduced them to the stewards like a boxing referee would before giving instructions to the fighters. 

New York Racing Association steward Victor Escobar explained the whip policy implemented by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority would be enforced like it is in every state but West Virginia and Louisiana.

“You’re allowed six strikes during the race,” he said. “Anything over that you will be fined $500. More than nine strikes and you will face potential disqualification.”

“Yuze know the rules!” echoed steward Carmine D’Onofrio.

Meeting a Namesake

We walked over to the paddock and Rug introduced me to Patrick Smithwick, who is the son of the race’s namesake.

Tall and bespectacled, Smithwick teaches English at a private school in Baltimore and has authored four books. Three are about steeplechase racing but the fourth is titled “War’s Over, Come Home.” The book concerns his son Andrew, a decorated U.S. Marine who fought in the Iraq War and suffers from PTSD.

He’s out there somewhere but no one can find him, writes Smithwick: “Not for a moment did I imagine that one day I’d be pulling blankets off the faces of homeless men and asking, ‘Is that you, Andrew?’”

There are no thousand-owner syndicates in steeplechase racing, nor any whimsically-named stables like Thelma and Louise.

“Bred by the Queen,” Gallo said of West Newton, an eight-year-old bay gelding ridden by Harrison Besswick.

“This is the most important part of the race,” Gallo added.

“Why?” I asked.

“I was being facetious, but a horse will tell you a lot, some are dull and others are jumping out of their skin and sweating.”

And they’re Off!

Up in the stewards’ stand, Rug watched the horses start to congregate diagonally across from us. The race wouldn’t commence until starter Hector Soler dropped the red flag he held skyward but, said Rug, “The trick is to get them all in line. You don’t want to have a restart because it usually doesn’t get any better.”

When the red flag did go down, Jamie Bargary steered Pickanumber into the lead while the other six horses stuck together saving their energy. They all cleared the fences with ease and at one point Rug commented, “These horses are being very good.”

“Did West Newton just go around an orange cone?” I asked.

“No, he’d have to pull up immediately,” said Rug.    

Track announcer Frank Miramonti also saw the near gaffe and told the crowd, “That was a rough jump there for West Newton who loses significant ground.”

Pickanumber had put away the two co-favorites Abaan and L’Imperator, but Watters had made sure Ziggle Pops had something left in the tank.

“Ziggle Pops comes through with a nice rally…” said Miramonti. “…And Ziggle Pops is up to take the lead… It’s all Ziggle Pops!”

The stewards studied the replays and nodded at each other. “It can go official,” said Rug.

His work done for the day, we shook hands and bid each other adieu. “It was great fun,” he said.

Saratoga’s steeplechase schedule ends with the Michael G. Walsh Memorial on Aug. 28. In October, Rug will venture over to the Genesee Valley Hunt Races in Livingston County, N.Y., and in November he’ll drive down to the Colonial Cup in South Carolina before landing at Tampa Bay Downs for the winter.

Until then he’ll savor the time he has left with his friends at the Spa. “What a crew,” he said. “The best in the country, probably the world.”