Hollywood Park: Mega Dream earns back her purchase price by winning Great Lady M

INGLEWOOD, Calif. - Mega Dream was purchased for $40,000 at the Keeneland January Horses of All Ages Sale earlier this year. She earned slightly more - $43,530 – by winning her stakes debut in Sunday’s $75,070 Great Lady M Stakes at Betfair Hollywood Park.

Ridden by Rafael Bejarano, Mega Dream ($28.40) rallied four-wide on the turn to catch 2-5 favorite Mizdirection in the six-furlong turf race for fillies and mares. Mega Dream was timed in 1:08.84.

The Great Lady M Stakes was her second start, and first win, on turf.

She was ninth in an optional claimer at Saratoga last summer.

Sunday, Bejarano rode a patient race on Mega Dream, a 5-year-old mare by Medgalia d’Oro.

Mega Dream was sixth in a field of seven on the backstretch, well behind pacesetter Bloemer Girl, who set early fractions of 22.72 and

45.48 seconds. Mizdirection, seeking her fifth consecutive win and fifth career stakes win, was fifth on the backstretch and rallied three-wide to reach contention in early stretch.

Mizdirection took the lead in the final furlong from Bloemer Girl, but could not hold off the late run from Mega Dream, who won by 1 1-4 lengths. “She really finished well,” winning trainer Jeff Bonde said.

Owned by the partnership of Jerry Durant, Barry Arnason and Mersad Metanovic, Mega Dream is unbeaten this year. She won her debut for Bonde and the partnership in an optional claimer at Oaklawn Park last month, earning $32,100. Bonde chose the Great Lady M for Mega Dream’s California debut because an allowance race on the synthetic main track did not draw sufficient entries, he said.

“I breezed her on the turf and she worked really well on it,” Bonde said.

Mizdirection finished a half-length in front of 28-1 Bloemer Girl, who held third. The loss by Mizdirection surprised jockey Garrett Gomez.

“I didn’t get the response I was looking for,” Gomez said. “I thought she’d be a little more handy.”