Interstatedaydream looks like too much horse for Indiana Oaks rivals

Trainer Brad Cox swept the Indiana Derby and Indiana Oaks in 2020 with, respectively, Shared Sense and Shedaresthedevil. Barring misfortune or an unexpected downturn in form, Cox has half that double sewn up again Saturday.

While Best Actor has a solid chance in the Indiana Derby, Cox’s Indiana Oaks entrant Interstatedaydream is the most likely winner on a 12-race card at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Listed at 9-5 on the track’s morning line, Interstatedaydream is an odds-on favorite if ever one existed. Seven others were entered in the 1 1/16-mile dirt contest, but Candy Raid is expected to be scratched from the Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks in favor of a start in the Iowa Oaks at Prairie Meadows.

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Be it on Beyer Speed Figures, level of accomplishment, or raw visual evidence, the gap between Interstatedaydream and her opponents looks wide.

Owned by Flurry Racing Stable, Interstatedaydream, a Canadian-bred by Classic Empire, began her career last year in New York, finishing a distant second in the Adirondack Stakes after winning her debut. But those were sprint races and Interstatedaydream clearly is a route horse. Cox returned her to action following a seven-month break in a two-turn Oaklawn Park allowance race on March 13, and Interstatedaydream cruised to an 8 1/2-length victory under Indiana Oaks jockey Florent Geroux. In the Grade 1 Ashland at Keeneland a month later, Interstatedaydream clearly regressed, setting a moderate pace and fading to third, beaten more than eight lengths. The Ashland winner, Nest, subsequently was second in the Kentucky Oaks and the Belmont Stakes; Interstatedaydream might not have beaten her, but she’s a better filly than Ashland runner-up Cocktail Moments.

“Second race off a layoff, back four weeks after getting a big number at Oaklawn,” said Cox, explaining the Ashland regression. “I don’t think speed was very good early in the Keeneland meet.”

Six weeks later, in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan, no one had an answer for Interstatedaydream, who beat favored Adare Manor by 1 1/2 lengths, traveling sweetly and earning a career-best 91 Beyer.

“She ran huge,” said Cox, who has gotten four interim works into the filly. “We’ve pointed to this race for a while and we’re hoping it propels her to bigger and better things.”

Runaway Wife would figure to finish second if one believed she’d run back to a career-best performance in her last race, but that start came July 1 and the filly could easily take a step back just eight days later. Her Kenny McPeek-trained stablemate Silverleaf runs back on 10 days’ rest. Her nine-length last-start maiden romp produced only a modest 69 Beyer.

The Cox-trained Patna might not be cut out for two-turn racing and beat a soft off-turf bunch last out, which leaves North County as Interstatedaydream’s expected exacta partner. North County parlayed solid talent and good fortune into a three-race winning streak to begin her career. She won’t be ending a two-race losing streak Saturday, but coming back from a freshening can finish in front of all but the Indiana Oaks favorite.