Dayton: M-M's Dream delivers in Grade 1 Oaks Derby

M-M's Dream backed up her victory on Little Brown Jug Day in the Miss Versatility Series final with a 1:51 3/5 triumph in the Grade 1 $250,000 Dayton Oaks Derby for older trotting mares on Saturday night at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.

Racing without shoes, as has become customary, M-M's Dream and driver Yannick Gingras landed in the pocket while Jurassic Hattie (Brett Miller) went on a speed mission through an opening quarter of 26 2/5. Call Me Goo (Tim Tetrick) then attacked first-over out of third going to the 54 4/5 half. Behind Call Me Goo, Elista Hanover (David Miller) had been on the rim throughout from post nine but couldn't keep up with the cover, which allowed Refined (Chris Page) to get off the cones in front of her.

Jurassic Hattie managed to keep Call Me Goo at bay to three-quarters in 1:22 and around the last turn as M-M's Dream struggled to keep up. However, in the stretch M-M's Dream found the passing lane and was able to grind past a dead-game Jurassic Hattie late to win by a length. Elista Hanover was full of trot late and got up for third despite the difficult journey and a boxed-in Triathlon As (Jeremy Smith) finished fourth. Call Me Goo faded to fifth.

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"I'm actually really happy for her tonight. She really had to dig in. I'm not sure she was at the top of her game. She was tired, but she's just a classy mare, and she got the job done," Gingras said after the race. "Since Hambletonian Day she really took the next step. That's when Ronnie [trainer Ron Burke] decided it's make it or break it, we're going to race her without shoes from here on out.

"They were just going so fast. I was struggling at the half and up the backstretch, but the other two were putting up some big fractions. She didn't really want any part of that but she's just tough and kept on going."

Burke trains M-M's Dream, a 6-year-old daughter of Swan For All bred by Mervin Miller, for Frank Baldachino and Hillside Stables. She has a summary of 36-10-8 from 65 starts, has put away $2,174,167 and paid $5.40 to win.

Whiskey Lou (Ronnie Wrenn Jr.) won a $75,000 consolation in 1:53 2/5 for trainer Curt Grummel and owner Randy Wilt. A 4-year-old by Lou's Legacy, she paid $29.20 to win in her 23rd career victory.