Harrah's Hoosier Park: Gregory seeking a "Pinocchio" moment for You Ato Dream in Crown

The late Vince Lombardi said "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing." If that were true, trainer-driver Jeff Gregory likely wouldn't be participating in Friday's Breeders Crown eliminations. For Gregory, winning has been rather elusive this year with his freshman filly by Donato Hanover named You Ato Dream, who enters her elimination race on Friday with but one victory on her card. With nine starts this year, You Ato Dream has earned in excess of $200K on the strength of seven second-place finishes. That would make any handicapper wonder whether the filly just doesn't like to win.

"She is in there trying every time," said Gregory. "I think if her nose was just six inches longer the results would be different."

All kidding aside, You Ato Dream's season has been rather impressive and Gregory, who once spent his entire career as a catch-driver, now relishes the opportunity to select yearlings and find one with the potential of this very special filly. Asked if he'd rather be driving three winners as a catch-driver on a given day or develop a stakes filly, Gregory said, "I would trade the wins for this filly every day of the week and twice on Sundays."

Gregory and his partners venture to yearling sales each year and according to the trainer they have a general game plan. "We're looking for horses within a specific price range, "said Gregory. "We bought this filly for $45,000 and that's within the range for us. She definitely stood out as an individual and we loved the video." You Ato Dream is the first foal from the Muscle Hill-sired Dream Child, a winner of nearly $100,000 during her racing career.

Gregory suggested in the past when looking for yearlings he may have got hung up on certain maternal families, but his more recent success has been from varied pedigrees with conformation and price the key factors in his purchases.

As for You Ato Dream, the filly has been that for Gregory from day one. She's trained down like a good horse, but as with many sons and daughters of Donato Hanover, she's had a tendency to get warm. "I think the most important thing with her was to keep her under control. That's why when I started her for the first time I took her from the pack and just let her relax," said Gregory.

You Ato Dream made her debut in a baby race at Harrah's Philadelphia in mid-June with a 2:02 pocket-trip victory, clocking a 29-flat last quarter. While that mile-time itself was hardly a suggestion that she was ready for stakes action, Gregory knew the type of potential she had and entered her in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes at The Meadows opening leg on July 6. Sent off at 63-1 after drawing post nine, You Ato Dream rallied from eighth at the half and some 10 lengths back to a second-place finish in a mile timed in 1:55. The race was a full seven seconds faster than her qualifier, but perhaps most impressive was her final half in a near 56 seconds for a pari-mutuel debut.

You Ato Dream would move to The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono for her next start and again get no luck of the draw, landing post nine against Pennsylvania All Star company on July 19. "It started raining right before the race," said Gregory, recalling the race. "I tried to keep her under control, but she got excited and after about two steps she buckled over." That break would be the lone blemish thus far in her career.

What followed for You Ato Dream were three solid trips and three second-place finishes in the final three legs of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit. Though winless in the series, You Ato Dream had ample points to reach the $253,000 final on September 5 at Pocono and a realistic chance to win the richest race of her career.

Gregory left the gate for position early but found himself forced to go without cover with You Ato Dream. The filly responded well to the trip and was able to track down the pacesetter in the homestretch only to get outkicked on the wire by a ground-saving Flawless Country in a 1:54 3/5 mile. The neck defeat was the difference between getting half the purse and a quarter.

You Ato Dream would finally find the winner's circle a few weeks later when Gregory guided her to a stakes score in the Liberty Bell at Harrah's Philadelphia on September 23. The 1:54 2/5 clocking would prepare her nicely for engagements at The Red Mile.

For Gregory the Grand Circuit is where You Ato Dream belonged. "I think if you can be competitive in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes program you can race anywhere," Gregory said. That said, You Ato Dream raced exceptionally well in both the Bluegrass and International Stallion stakes at The Red Mile. That she finished second by a nose and second by a head on consecutive weeks was a bitter pill to swallow, but Gregory was nevertheless proud of his filly. "It's a good group of fillies she's up against. She did everything right and fought to the wire both weeks," said Gregory.

While You Ato Dream had to race on the front end in both Red Mile races, her trainer believes she's a better horse when raced off the pace and given a target. Nevertheless, despite the slim defeats, one would be hard-pressed to believe that You Ato Dream may one day find herself on the lead and winning some of these major stakes.

The draw was favorable for You Ato Dream, landing the pole position in one of two Breeders Crown elimination heats Friday at Hoosier Park. While the draw was optimal, You Ato Dream may have to wait another week to reach the winner's circle unless she can knock off the uber-impressive Donna Soprano in her division. The Peaceful Way winner at Woodbine Mohawk Park landed post two in the same field in her U.S. racing debut for trainer Luc Blais. "I haven't raced against her (Donna Soprano) but I've seen her and she's been very impressive," said Gregory.

You Ato Dream returned to New Jersey after her Red Mile races and will race in Indiana with different shoeing. "The track is a little looser at Hoosier Park, so we'll put some grab on her shoes," said Gregory.

Looking forward, Gregory picked up four trotting fillies in his price range in Lexington and may take home a couple at the Timonium sale. He's also looking forward to breaking and training Charlotte Bailey, a Muscle Hill-sired homebred and first foal from the New York Sire Stakes champion and winner of $874K, Barn Doll. "She's a nice-built filly that looks a lot like her dam," said Gregory.

Gregory hopes to win his first Breeders Crown as a trainer, having captured the 2011 sophomore trot with Chapter Seven when regular pilot Tim Tetrick's plane kept him and a few other drivers from reaching Woodbine that evening. "Winning a Breeders Crown would be career-changing for me," said Gregory, hoping his filly's nose can grow at least six inches between now and the final.