A ‘Whistlin’ Renewal of the Dixie
If the GI Preakness S. is Saturday’s main course at Old Hilltop, the GII Longines Dixie S. is a most intriguing appetizer, as a full and contentious field of 14 will load the gate about an hour before the 3-year-old claim the spotlight.
War Correspondent (War Front) could rule a slight favorite at or slightly higher than his 7-2 morning line in what shapes as an outstanding betting race as well. The year-younger full-brother to Declaration of War–a dual Group 1 winner over English turf courses and third in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic–was a two-time winner in four French starts for his breeder Joe Allen and trainer Jean-Claude Rouget and has done little wrong since his acquisition by Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Sagamore Farm, who recently bought in to the colt. In a pair of starts this season, the bay was a luckless third to Mshawish (Medaglia d’Oro) in the GI Gulfstream Park Turf H. Feb. 7, but bounced back with a tuck-and-cover defeat of pacesetting Aripeka (Bernstein) and wide-trip Grand Tito (Candy Ride {Arg}) last time in the GIII Appleton H. Mar. 28. He’ll have to be good to win this, as he’s drawn one from the outside in 13 and it will be up to John Velazquez to carve out a trip from there.
Grand Tito is due some luck and will be trying to snap an eight-race skid here dating back to an August allowance victory at Gulfstream Park. The 5-year-old was fifth after racing prominently in the Gulfstream Park Turf H. and was runner-up to Long On Value (Value Plus) in the GIII Canadian Turf S. Feb. 21 ahead of his Appleton effort. He ships north off a defeat at the hands of longshot Rerun (Grand Reward) as the favorite in the GIII Miami Mile S. Apr. 25, but will be able to save ground early from the one hole.
Up With the Birds (Stormy Atlantic) is as classy as any member of this field as one of two in here with a Grade I victory to his credit, courtesy his score in the 2013 Jamaica H. Last year’s GII Nijinsky S. hero was runner-up to Legendary (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) in the GIII Knickerbocker S. and makes his first start for the Graham Motion barn since finishing a well-beaten 16th of 18 in the G1 Japan Cup in November. His sixth-place effort in this event as the 5-2 favorite last May suggests bettors tread cautiously here.
In addition to Legendary, Ironicus (Distorted Humor) rates a look as an interesting longshot. Never out of the top three in his six turf tries, the Janney homebred exits a sneaky-good allowance second at Keeneland Apr. 15 in which he was forced to cover a ton of extra ground on the turn. He just failed to reel in Sycamore Lane (Artie Schiller), who was gifted an easy lead over a soft turf course. Javier Castellano tags along for this first graded-stakes try.