Scratch-reduced Dixie now matches four on a sloppy main track

BALTIMORE – The $250,000 Dixie was moved from turf to dirt on Saturday morning, and the eight-horse field was cut in half by scratches, including favored World Approval and the top contenders Divsidero and Frostmourne.

The new-look Dixie, which will be run at 1 1/16 miles on the main track, is competitive despite having only four starters.

The front-runners over the sloppy footing are likely to be Unbridled Juan and Just Howard, who each will be making his first start of the year.

O Dionysus, who won his turf debut when stretched out in distance in his last start, may settle into third position, with Fire Away bringing up the rear.

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Unbridled Juan and O Dionysus will both be racing as first-time geldings.

Unbridled Juan raced at Woodbine last year, but has been transferred to Laurel-based trainer Jose Corrales. Unbridled Juan, who is 4 for 20 in his career, is 3 for 11 on dirt.

Although winless in five starts last year at 5, he won a high-level optional-claiming race on dirt at Aqueduct in November 2016 and a second-level optional claimer in the slop at Belmont in May of that year.

Edgar Prado rides.

Just Howard, trained by Graham Motion, was the Maryland-bred Horse of the Year in 2017 after winning the Grade 3 Commonwealth Derby at 1 1/8 miles on turf. Nine of Just Howard’s 11 starts have come on turf, but he did finish a close second in a Laurel Park maiden race that was taken off the turf.

The speed Just Howard showed in that mile race would serve him well in the Dixie. Jose Ortiz is scheduled to ride.

O Dionysus, who is trained by Gary Capuano, raced poorly in a pair of sprints since returning from an 11-month layoff, but got back on track last time out, rallying from off the pace to win a third-level optional-claiming race on turf at Laurel.

Fire Away has won a pair of turf stakes in his last three starts, but has made only one of his 21 starts on dirt. Trained by Shug McGaughey throughout his career, he finished ninth in a dirt sprint while making his career debut at Saratoga in 2014.