Belmont BC

TRACK BANDIT PREVIEWS

The trend of small stakes fields continues for Belmont Park's opening

weekend, with only six entered in the Belmont Breeders' Cup H. (G2) on Sunday.

The impressive four-year-old SHAKESPEARE (Theatrical [Ire]) is the 9-5 favorite

on the morning line for the nine-furlong inner turf test, but we're going to try

to find some value and pick against the Bill Mott trainee.

This could be the spot that METEOR STORM (GB) (Bigstone [Ire]) finally

regains the form from last season that saw him take the Manhattan H. (G1). The

Wally Dollase-trained six-year-old hasn't been performing badly this year, but

is still trying to reach the winner's circle from five starts. He's been close,

finishing second in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) and San Luis Rey H.

(G2), as well as posting a good fourth in the Sword Dancer Invitational H. (G1)

last out. The bay will be shortening up here off that last start and recorded a

stellar BRIS Speed rating of 107 for that fourth-place finish. Meteor Storm will

be getting blinkers added for this one and will keep Javier Castellano in the

irons.

GREEK SUN (Danzig) is undefeated from two starts at this distance and will be

returning off a more than 10-month layoff here. That shouldn't bother the Bobby

Frankel charge, as he captured last year's Cinema Breeders' Cup H. (G3) of a

six-month break before running second in the Secretariat S. (G1) off a two-month

hiatus to eventual turf champion Kitten's Joy (El Prado [Ire]). Edgar Prado, the top

jockey at Saratoga's recently concluded meet, will be in the saddle again and

Greek Sun could make his four-year-old debut a success in this one.

Shakespeare is undefeated from three career starts so far and is out of the

very nice race mare Lady Shirl (That's a Nice), who captured the 1991 Flower

Bowl H. (G1) and E. P. Taylor S. (G2) while earning more than $1 million

during her six-year long career. The bay colt broke his maiden in style last

February, scoring by three lengths at Gulfstream Park, then immediately added a

2 1/4-length win in the Caltech S. to his resume. He wasn't seen again until

July 27 at Saratoga, when he captured a second-level allowance by 1 3/4 lengths.

Shakespeare has been training forwardly since then, and could run to his odds

here with Jerry Bailey remaining aboard.

EVENING ATTIRE (Black Tie Affair [Ire]) has really tailed off this year, but

showed a bit of his previous form when recording a 102 Speed figure last out in

the Saratoga Breeders' Cup H. (G2). He ran fourth in that event as the defending

champion and does have some experience over the turf at Belmont. The gray

veteran ran a nice second in last season's grassy Knickerbocker H. (G2) at

Aqueduct and might turn it around here to grab part with Jean-Luc Samyn holding

the reins.

MUQBIL (Swain [Ire]) is a game competitor, but is still looking for his first

stakes win stateside. The Kiaran McLaughlin trainee is a Group 3 winner in

England, however, and has enough talent to breakthrough here with his first U.S.

black-type victory. He'll be dangerous for the exotics. PROUD MAN (Manlove) has

plenty of experience winning over the Belmont turf and at this distance. The

seven-year-old bay showed improvement last out when posting a 100 Speed rating

for a close fifth in an optional claimer at Saratoga, but he might not have

improved enough to challenge in the top three here. We'll let him beat us.