Commentator, Roman Ruler return at Belmont Wednesday

Stakes winner COMMENTATOR (Distorted Humor), who established a track record

at Belmont Park when capturing a 7 1/2-furlong allowance in 1:27 2/5 last

September, and multiple Grade 2 winner ROMAN RULER (Fusaichi Pegasus), both

return from a freshening in Wednesday's 3RD race, a seven-furlong

allowance/optional claiming event at Belmont.

Trained by Nick Zito, Commentator is unbeaten from five starts around one

turn. The four-year-old gelding will be making his first start since an unplaced

finish in the 1 1/8-mile Hal's Hope H. (G3) in early January, where he suffered

his first career setback in his two-turn debut, and the New York-bred runner

should appreciate the cutback in distance on Wednesday. Commentator, who didn't

make his career bow until last August at Saratoga, won his first five outings by

a combined 42 1/4 lengths, including the about seven-furlong Perryville S. by

seven in his lone stakes start attempt.

Roman Ruler displayed impressive form at two, winning the Norfolk S. (G2) and

Best Pal S. (G2), but his season ended on a sour note when fifth in the

Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1). The colt was plagued by physical issues earlier

this year and made only one appearance, an eighth in the San Felipe S. (G2),

before being declared out of consideration for the Triple Crown by conditioner

Bob Baffert. After being given time off, Roman Ruler returned to the worktab in

May and has trained forwardly for his first start against older horses,

recording bullets in his last four workouts.

Channing Hill has picked up the mount on Commentator, and Jerry Bailey rides

Roman Ruler.

The six-horse contest also includes Godolphin's ROSENCRANS (Forest Wildcat),

who captured the Spring Cup S. last year over the all-weather track at Lingfield

Park in England. A close third in a turf event last out, Rosencrans will make

his U.S. dirt debut for trainer Saeed bin Suroor.

The $60,000 Artax H. is the feature on Wednesday. The 6 1/2-furlong test

attracted six, including Grade 3 winner THUNDER TOUCH (Gulch), the 118-pound

highweight. Grade 2 victor NEW YORK HERO (Partner's Hero), five-time stakes

winner SIR OSCAR (Halo's Image) and SMOKUME (Smoke Glacken), a sharp 1

3/4-length winner of Monmouth's Decathlon S. two back, are also entered.

Another top contender is SUMMER SERVICE (Siberian Summer), who placed in the

El Conejo H. (G3), Los Angeles Times H. (G3) and San Simeon H. (G3) before going

to the sidelines last spring. The five-year-old gray returned to the races this

year for new trainer Bruce Levine and recorded a sharp win over optional

claiming rivals at Belmont off more than a 12-month layoff. He's eligible to

improve in his second start back.