The complexion of the Grade 3, $400,000 Oklahoma Derby on Sunday has changed with the scratch of Tax, a leading contender and one of the primary pace rivals of probable favorite Mucho Gusto. Tax, the Grade 2 Jim Dandy winner who had a shipping temperature upon his arrival Wednesday, will now head back to New York and is being considered for a start in the Breeders’ Cup Classic, trainer Danny Gargan said Sunday. As for Mucho Gusto, he will lead a field of 10 that includes fellow graded stakes winners Owendale, Long Range Toddy and Cairo Cat. Those adding further depth in a strong Oklahoma Derby renewal include New York-bred stakes winners Funny Guy and Bankit, West Virginia Derby runner-up Chess Chief, and sharp local View Magic. In all, the field has won combined 14 stakes races, with eight of those victories coming in graded races. Mucho Gusto is seeking to give trainer Bob Baffert his second win in the Oklahoma Derby. Baffert has had just two starters in the race, his most recent third-place finisher Prayer for Relief in 2011. Baffert’s first Oklahoma Derby starter was his first winner, back in 1996. “Semoran won it,” Baffert recalled Monday from his base in Southern California. “It was a different date – it used to be in the spring. I remember going there. I went to the Cowboy Hall of Fame.” Baffert has since been inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame and twice has won the Triple Crown. His good work with 3-year-olds extends to Mucho Gusto, who has won four Grade 3 races in nine starts and comes off a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Travers at Saratoga on Aug. 24. “He shows up every time,” Baffert said. The Oklahoma Derby is part of a 13-race card that starts at 3 p.m. Central. There are eight stakes worth a total of $1.1 million, making for the meet’s richest program. Remington will offer a pick four on races 10-13, with a minimum pool of $75,000. KEY CONTENDERS Mucho Gusto, by Mucho Macho Man Last 3 Beyers: 101-100-95 ◗ He was prominent throughout the Travers, finishing behind Code of Honor and Tacitus, who both were to face older horses Saturday at Belmont in the Jockey Club Gold Cup. Mucho Gusto, meanwhile, will be shortening up from 1 1/4 miles to 1 1/8 miles Sunday. “It’s a good distance for him,” said Baffert, who trains the horse for Michael Lund Petersen. ◗ Joe Talamo has the mount from post 10. Owendale, by Into Mischief Last 3 Beyers: 98-99-96 ◗ The third-place finisher in the Preakness, he exits a fifth in the Travers. He now moves back to the distance of his biggest win, the Grade 3, $500,000 Ohio Derby. Owendale closed for a half-length win over Math Wizard in that race on June 22. “It was a good effort,” said Brad Cox, who trains Owendale for Rupp Racing. “I thought he struggled a little with the racetrack. He overcame it to get there. Math Wizard came back and won a Grade 1, the Pennsylvania Derby, so it looks like a productive race. We hope to add to that.” ◗ Florent Geroux has the mount from post 11. Long Range Toddy, by Take Charge Indy Last 3 Beyers: 87-85-76 ◗ He earned a fees-paid berth into the Oklahoma Derby for his win in last year’s $400,000 Springboard Mile at Remington and will attempt to become the third horse to capture both races. Golden Yank and Going Ballistic did it when the Springboard was called the MEC Mile. ◗ Long Range Toddy, who in March won a division of the Grade 2 Rebel at Oaklawn, boasts a 3-for-4 record over the main track at Remington. ◗ He exits a fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Indiana Derby on July 13, with the winner of that race, Mr. Money, coming back to take the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby, and the runner-up, Gray Magician, the Ellis Park Derby. ◗ Long Range Toddy is a Willis Horton homebred who hails from the barn of Steve Asmussen, the leading trainer at Remington. Jon Court has the mount from post 9.