 Dixieland Band was bred by Bayard Sharp, a prominent and highly respected Delaware horseman and president of The Blood-Horse Inc. Out of the Sharp-owned multiple stakes winning mare, Mississippi Mud, he was a son of the 20th century's most influential sire, Northern Dancer.In May 1983, Dixieland Band won the Pennsylvania Derby by a neck from Jacques Tip, establishing himself as a contender for the Belmont Stakes.In the Belmont, he finished unplaced behind Caveat.