Oversubscribed Dixie highlights competitive turf action on Preakness undercard

A plethora of competitive stakes have been carded for Pimlico's Saturday

program, highlighted by the second jewel of the Triple Crown, the $1.5 million

Preakness S. (G1). There are three other main track contests scheduled, but the

biggest field on the day will go on the turf course one race before the

Preakness.

The $300,000

Dixie S.

(G2) drew an overflow group of 16 turf runners going 1 1/16 miles, leaving

Chamois (Smart Strike) and Our Emerald Forest (Zerpour) to need a couple of

defections to make the main body of the allowed 14-horse field.

War Correspondent (War Front), Aripeka (Bernstein) and Grand Tito (Candy

Ride) don't have to worry about that, as the three drew in and will renew their

rivalry after finishing in that order in the Appleton S. (G3) on March 28 at

Gulfstream Park. War Correspondent gutted out the neck decision over Aripeka,

with Grand Tito another three parts of a length behind in third.

Long on Value (Value Plus) got the best of both Grand Tito and Aripeka in the

Canadian Turf S. (G3) in late February before finishing third in the Maker's 46

Mile last out, both under Joel Rosario, who returns to pilot the four-year-old

bay in the Dixie.

Skyring (English Channel) re-opposes off his seventh in the Maker's 46 Mile,

and the veteran six-year-old will attempt to keep his Pimlico grass record

perfect in his third try. The bay horse captured the James W. Murphy S. on the

2012 Preakness undercard, then returned a year later to wire the 2013 Dixie.

He's been playing revolving barns of late and will go out for D. Wayne Lukas

with Corey Nakatani in the irons.

Thirteen distaffers will go 1 1/16 grassy miles a few races before the Dixie

in the $150,000

Gallorette H. (G3), with Watsdachances (Diamond Green) and Hard Not to Like

(Hard Spun) headlining the field off close finishes in Grade 1 contests.

Watsdachances was second in last year's running of the Gallorette to start

off her four-year-old season, and has made just three starts since, all at

different tracks. She placed in the Matchmaker S. (G3) at Monmouth Park in late

July, was fourth in Saratoga's Glens Falls S. (G3) a month later, and closed out

2014 with a fourth-placing in the Flower Bowl S. (G1) at Belmont Park on

September 27. The Chad Brown-trained Irish-bred will have Javier Castellano

aboard as she makes her five-year-old bow on Saturday.

The $100,000

James W. Murphy S. kicks off the Saturday stakes action at Pimlico and

features eight sophomores going a mile on the green. Woodwin W (More Than Ready)

is unbeaten in three starts thus far, with the last two on turf against winners.

The Jamie Ness pupil's most recent effort came at Old Hilltop in a 1 1/16-mile

allowance under Jevian Toledo, who has the call in the Murphy.

Force the Pass (Speightstown) has also raced just three times, dropping his

initial effort before taking his past two including the Cutler Bay S. at

Gulfstream. Rajiv Maragh has been aboard for the trio of starts and retains the

mount in this spot.

Dual stakes winner Bluegrass Singer (Bluegrass Cat) boasts just one start on

turf, with that coming as a runner-up effort against allowance/optional claiming

foes at Gulfstream Park West last October. The gray gelding is exiting a nice

score in the Parx Derby and gets Orlando Bocachica in the pilot's seat for this

return to grass.