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Commentator, Nobiz in action at Belmont on Independence Day Belmont Park will observe Independence Day with a fascinating pair of Grade 2 contests on Wednesday. Grade 1 hero COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor) tops a competitive field of seven sprinters congregating for the $200,000 Tom Fool Breeders' Cup H. (G2), while Wood Memorial S. (G1) winner NOBIZ LIKE SHOBIZ (Albert the Great) ranks as the 123-pound highweight in the $150,000 Dwyer S. (G2), his first race back since finishing 10th in the Kentucky Derby (G1). The lightly raced Commentator has captured nine of 12 lifetime starts, with his past two campaigns curtailed because of shin problems. The Nick Zito charge scored his biggest victory in the 2005 Whitney H. (G1), defeating Horse of the Year Saint Liam, but that rival turned the tables on him with the help of a rabbit in the Woodward S. (G1). Commentator was then sidelined until last July, when he returned with an emphatic 6 1/4-length tally in the Mugatea S. After winding up a subpar 10th in the Forego S. (G1) at Saratoga, the New York-bred gelding was shelved for the rest of the season. In his 2007 reappearance on Memorial Day, Commentator strolled home by 11 1/4 lengths in the Richmond Runner S. going 6 1/2 furlongs at this venue, proving that he retains his former brilliance. On Wednesday, Commentator will meet a much stronger group while toting the co-top weight of 119 pounds. Corey Nakatani will guide the chestnut from post 6 in the seven-furlong affair. "He's such a cool horse," Zito said. "He's doing everything right. He's such a treasure. This race isn't going to be easy. There is some other speed in the race, but the post is good for him. Commentator is going to run his race." SAINT ANDDAN (A.P. Indy), who will also shoulder 119 pounds, will bid for his third straight stakes score. After posting a game win in the Duncan F. Kenner Breeders' Cup S. at Fair Grounds, the Bobby Frankel trainee drew off by two lengths in the Churchill Downs S. (G2) on Kentucky Derby Day. Saint Anddan will break from the far outside post 7 with Rafael Bejarano. WILL HE SHINE (Silver Deputy) finished third to Saint Anddan at Churchill, but he is exiting a 1 3/4-length victory in the True North H. (G2) here on Belmont Day. Garrett Gomez picks up the mount on the Dale Romans pupil. Edgar Prado, who had partnered Will He Shine in his past two outings, has opted to stick with Godolphin's RONDO (Grand Slam), an impressive allowance winner who is making his stakes debut. Multiple Grade 2-placed AWESOME TWIST (Awesome Again) will lead the post parade in his seasonal reappearance, carrying a 115-pound impost that includes Javier Castellano. Next will come multiple stakes winner ISTAN (Gone West), Kent Desormeaux, 116; smashing allowance/optional claiming romper HIGH FINANCE (Talk Is Money), John Velazquez, 114; Rondo, 114; Will He Shine, 117; Commentator; and Saint Anddan. Like Commentator, Nobiz Like Shobiz sports a better resume than his five opponents in the 1 1/16-mile Dwyer. Long highly regarded by horseman Barclay Tagg, the handsome bay rolled to a 6 1/2-length victory in the Remsen S. (G2) last November to stamp himself as a serious Triple Crown hopeful. He kicked off his sophomore campaign with a workmanlike win in the Holy Bull S. (G3), but his tendency to lug in cost him when he checked in third in the Fountain of Youth S. (G2). First-time blinkers appeared to do the trick next time out in the Wood, as Nobiz Like Shobiz drove to a half-length decision over SIGHTSEEING (Pulpit), with ANY GIVEN SATURDAY (Distorted Humor) another 3 1/4 lengths adrift in third. He wasn't able to build on that success in the Run for the Roses, fading through the stretch after racing within striking distance early. "I wanted to freshen him up," Tagg said regarding his colt's holiday since the Derby. "He's had four hard races this year with the Kentucky Derby and three major preps. That's tough on a young horse." For the Dwyer, the blinkers are coming off Nobiz Like Shobiz. Regular rider Cornelio Velasquez will steer the talented but quirky colt from post 2. "I wasn't going to keep them (the blinkers) on forever in the first place," Tagg said. "I'm not sure he really needed them anyway. We put them on in the Wood and they worked to help him focus more, but he's doing that on his own now." Any Given Saturday was another leading contender on the Derby trail who failed to deliver beneath the Twin Spires. One of Todd Pletcher's legion of promising sophomores, he has not won since outclassing the field in the Sam F. Davis S. at Tampa Bay Downs in his 2007 bow. Any Given Saturday lost to champion Street Sense (Street Cry [Ire]) in a photo-finish in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3), retreated to third in the Wood, and checked in eighth at Churchill. The dark bay will try to get back on track beneath a returning Gomez. Sightseeing skipped the hurly-burly of the Derby, with trainer Shug McGaughey preferring to take a more conservative approach with the immature three-year-old. The Phipps Stable homebred instead awaited the Peter Pan S. (G2), where he got up to score by a nose in the final strides. Prado will try to conjure another smart rally from Sightseeing, who will be equipped with blinkers for the first time. "I've been wanting to do it," McGaughey said about the blinkers. "I was a little concerned about him not finishing up when he was asked in the Peter Pan. When (Prado) asked him the other day, it kind of took him a little while. He's had a couple of good works in blinkers, so we thought we'd give it a try. "Nobiz Like Shobiz and Any Given Saturday are probably going to be watching each other," he added. "Hopefully we can lay in behind them, and maybe it will set up right for us." The battle-hardened stakes veterans will face a promising new shooter in the shape of FIRST DEFENCE (Unbridled's Song), a son of Grade 1 queen Honest Lady (Seattle Slew). Trained by Frankel, the Juddmonte Farms homebred is two-for-two at Belmont, boasting an 8 1/4-length maiden victory last October and a 3 1/4-length dismissal of older horses in an allowance in his sophomore debut. First Defence stopped the teletimer in a sensational 1:20 4/5 for seven furlongs that day, and he has been working sharply in advance of the Dwyer. Castellano, his exclusive pilot, will be back aboard. HELSINKI (Distorted Humor), riding a two-race winning streak, will break from the rail with Nakatani while shouldering 117 pounds. Lining up to his outside will be Nobiz Like Shobiz; Sightseeing; smart allowance/optional claiming winner BELIEVEINMENOW (Tiznow), Mike Luzzi, 117; First Defence, 117; and Any Given Saturday.
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