High Fly returns in Jerome; Shakespeare faces Greek Sun

Florida Derby (G1) winner HIGH FLY (Atticus), unraced since a 10th-place

finish in the Preakness (G1), makes a highly anticipated return to the races in

Sunday's $150,000 Jerome H. (G2), which is one of three graded stakes races at

Belmont Park. The Nick Zito-trained three-year-old will face five rivals in the

one-mile Jerome, and the 120-pound highweight figures to be a strong favorite

under regular rider Jerry Bailey.

Stakes winner and King's Bishop S. (G1) third-placer BETTER THAN BONDS (Sweetsouthernsaint),

Grade 2-placed SILVER TRAIN (Old Trieste) and recent allowance winner AWESOME

TWIST (Awesome Again) are among the challengers in the Jerome.

The complete field, from the rail with jockeys and imposts, is Awesome Twist,

Javier Castellano, 114; High Fly; SIR GREELEY (Mr. Greeley), Eibar Coa, 114;

Better Than Bonds, Richard Migliore, 115; Silver Train, Edgar Prado, 113; and

NAUGHTY NEW YORKER (Quiet American), Jean-Luc Samyn, 115.

One race later, a group of six will square off in the $200,000 Belmont

Breeders' Cup H. (G2). The top draw for the nine-furlong grassy affair is the

unbeaten SHAKESPEARE (Theatrical [Ire]), who returned from a 16-month layoff to

capture a Saratoga allowance race in his last appearance. Winner of the 2004

Caltech S., the Bill Mott-trained four-year-old brings a three-for-three mark

into his graded debut and will have to face GREEK SUN (Danzig), who will be

making his seasonal bow in the Belmont Breeders' Cup.

Trained by Bobby Frankel, Greek Sun captured the Cinema Breeders' Cup H .

(G3) and finished second in the Secretariat S. (G1) before wrapping up his

sophomore campaign with a sharp score in the Oak Tree Derby (G2). The dark bay

colt owns a 6-4-1-0 career line and will be ridden by Prado. Another entrant of

note is Grade 1 hero METEOR STORM (GB) (Bigstone [Ire]), who finished a good

second in the Woodford Reserve Turf Classic (G1) three starts back but will be

looking for his first victory this season for trainer Wally Dollase.

MUQBIL (Swain [Ire]), who totes 113 pounds, has the rail with Migliore. Next

in post position order comes EVENING ATTIRE (Black Tie Affair [Ire]), Samyn,

112; PROUD MAN (Manlove), John Velazquez, 113; Meteor Storm, Castellano, 118;

Greek Sun, 116; and Shakespeare, Bailey, 114.