By Christie DeBernardis
Last term's GI Arlington Million S. hero The Pizza Man (English Channel) returns from a four-month layoff as the monring-line favorite in Saturday's GII Wise Dan S. at Churchill Downs. Capping off a three-race win streak in the Million last August, the Midwest Thoroughbreds homebred missed by just a head next out in Keeneland's GI Shadwell Turf Mile Oct. 3 and was a respectable fifth in the GI Breeders' Cup Turf there Oct. 31. Returning to winning ways in the GI Hollywood Turf Cup at Del Mar Nov. 26, the Roger Brueggemann pupil was fifth as the even-money favorite when last seen in the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. Feb. 6 and enters off a half-mile bullet in :48 flat over the Churchill training track June 11.
Live Oak Plantation's Za Approval (Ghostzapper) was one of two-time Horse of the Year Wise Dan (Wiseman's Ferry)'s arch rivals and looks to spring the upset in the six-time Eclipse winner's namesake race. Third in both the GII Eclipse S. and GII Nijinksy S. at Woodbine last summer, the 8-year-old was second in an optional claimer there Aug. 28 and returned to winning ways in a Keeneland allowance Oct. 18. Trainer Mark Casse and jockey Julien Leparoux, who recently teamed up for a history-making victory in Royal Ascot's G1 Queen Anne S. with champion Tepin (Bernstein), join forces here with the gray gelding, who was last seen finishing a non-factor eighth in the GII Dixie S. at Pimlico May 21.
Ian Wilkes saddles an interesting contender in Thatcher Street (Street Sense), who enters on a two-race win streak that started with a Gulfstream optional claimer Mar. 23. The bay scored a half-length success over the reopposing Pleuven (Fr) (Turtle Bowl {Ire}) last time in this venue's Opening Verse S. May 21.
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