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Dual Horse of the Year Wise Dan will face 10 rivals in his comeback at Saratoga on Saturday in the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap.

The turf champion has been out of action since May 16 when he required emergency colic surgery after he took his first two races of the season with repeat victories in the G1 Maker's 46 Mile and the G1 Woodford Reserve Turf Classic.

The six-time Eclipse Award winner will face a solid field in the $250,000 Bernard Baruch over 1 1/16-mile on the inner turf carrying the 127-pound highweight as a lead-up to the

Trainer Charlie LoPresti may be a worrier but he is a consumate horseman who has managed Wise Dan brilliantly through four seasons of racing.

Three weeks ago he bypassed the Fourstardave, a race Wise Dan had won twice before, because he felt his champion was not quite ready.

Wise Dan has had seven works since the operation, the past six at Saratoga.

"I wanted to bring him along slow and this gave me a little bit more time," LoPresti said.

"He's ready to run. I don't want to sit around and not run him.”

Wise Dan has won consecutive editions of the Breeders' Cup Mile among 10 G1 wins, and 17 graded stakes overall.

He has 21 wins from 29 starts and earnings of $6,802,920 but the question remains how he will he return having spent the past four months recuperating from surgery.

"Everybody tells me that it shouldn't affect him. I don't think it's affected him, but you don't know that until you run," LoPresti said.

"Any kind of colic surgery is colic surgery, so you have to be concerned about that. But he is ready to run; he's very good right now, his last three works have indicated that.

"He's 100%, I feel pretty certain about that but he hasn't run since May and that's something you have to think about."

“We were probably two works short of the Fourstardave. I realised I was trying to play catch-up to make that race and this makes more sense.

"I want to get him started. He's been beaten before, so that doesn't worry me.

"It could happen again. If he's lucky enough to win fine, but if it sets him up for the Shadwell and the Breeders' Cup, I'm OK with that, too."

Wise Dan will give up between eight and 13 pounds to his rivals in the Baruch.

The only other G1 winner in the Baruch field is Boisterous, making his sixth start since being transferred to trainer Todd Pletcher for his 2014 campaign.

Boisterous won the G1 Man o' War last summer at Belmont Park for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey and has one win from four tries on the Saratoga turf.

Most recently he finished fourth in the G2 Bowling Green Handicap going 1 1/2 miles on July 12 at Belmont.

Trainer Kiaran McLaughlin won three straight editions of the Bernard Baruch with Shakis (2007-08) and Justenuffhumor (2009), and goes for a fourth with Sayaad.

The 4-year-old had a three-race win streak snapped when fifth to Seek Again in the Fourstardave.

"We could be on an uncontested lead, but Wise Dan is keen and off a long layoff; he could be breathing down our throats or he could be on the lead," McLaughlin said.

The Bernard Baruch is one of four graded stakes on the Saturday program at Saratoga along with the G1 $600,000 Woodward Stakes, G1 $500,000 Forego and G2 $300,000 Prioress.