O Dionysus to switch over to hurdles

Multiple stakes winner O Dionysus is headed for a career over hurdles after selling for $135,000 to Irv Naylor at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic winter mixed sale.

Naylor and trainer Cyril Murphy, who will take over the conditioning of O Dionysus, campaigned back-to-back winners of the Eclipse Award as North America’s outstanding steeplechase horse in Dawalan (2015) and Rawnaq (2016).

O Dionysus, a 5-year-old Bodemeister gelding, was consigned to the Fasig-Tipton sale by agent Marshall W. Silverman. The gelding has won 7 of 26 starts on the flat, with four stakes victories and seven stakes placings. A stakes performer on both dirt and turf, he has already shown the stamina on turf that will be beneficial moving on to a steeplechase career. He won the 2018 Cape Henlopen Stakes going 1 1/2 miles on the turf at Delaware Park. He finished third in this year’s edition of that race before winning the Japan Cup Turf, also at 1 1/2 miles, at Laurel Park.

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