Wise Dan has returned to his Keeneland base to prepare for his bid to capture a third successive Horse of the Year title.

Trainer Charlie LoPresti is especially pleased with the seven-year-old’s condition after a colic scare in May.

“Everybody that’s seen him says he looks better now,” LoPresti said.

WiseDan underwent emergency colic surgery on May 16 and the recuperated at Forest Lane Farm, the Kentucky farm owned by LoPresti and his wife Amy.

The gelding recently began jogging and galloping in the farm’s indoor arena.

LoPresti said Wise Dan seemed glad to be back at Keeneland and had jogged and galloped several times.

LoPresti said Wise Dan would leave for Saratoga by July 14 to train there through the summer.

Future races options include the G2 Fourstardave on August 9 and G2 Bernard Baruch on August 30 at Saratoga; the G1 Woodbine Mile on September 14; and the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland on October 4.

Wise Dan has won the Fourstardave and the Woodbine Mile for the past two seasons and has a win and a second in the Shadwell Turf Mile.

“We’ll let him tell us. We’re not going to push him,” LoPresti said.

Wise Dan has won 21 of his 29 races over five seasons, including the 2012 and 2013 Breeders’ Cup Mile and has earned more than $6.8 million.

Meanwhile Game On Dude slipped down the Hors eof the Year ladder when he finished fourth as an odds on favourite in the G1 Gold Cup at Santa Anita on Saturday.

Majestic Harbor and his rider Russel Baze flew past a fading Game On Dude to post a 6¼ lengths victory, giving his Southern California-based trainer Sean McCarthy his first G1 success.

Majestic Harbour is a half brother to this year’s G1 Arkansas Derby winner Danza and was purchased by McCarthy for just $20,000 at the 2009 Keeneland September yearling sale.

With the winner's check of $300,000 from Saturday's $500,000 race, he nearly doubled his career earnings to $655,764. He has six wins and 10 placings from 23 starts.

As a Breeders' Cup Challenge race, the victory landed Majestic Harbor a spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita in November.

Baze said: "Sean gave me an opportunity to ride this horse first time out. I've gotten to know him, learn about him and learn how to ride him and I never lost any bit of faith in him.

"From the first time I got on him, I told Sean this horse will make you. We'll win the Breeders' Cup with him.”

Game On Dude was attempting to join Lava Man as the second horse since 2000 to win three editions of the Gold Cup, formerly contested as the Hollywood Gold Cup until that track closed at the end of last year.

Game On Dude has now lost four of his past five starts.