Interstatedaydream wins tough battle in Indiana Oaks

She had to work for it, but 3-10 favorite Interstatedaydream prevailed in the Grade 3, $200,000 Indiana Oaks on Saturday at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

The last-out winner of the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes got a stern test from Runaway Wife, but pulled clear in deep stretch to post a 2 1/4-length victory. It was 6 1/2 more lengths back to Runaway Wife’s Kenny McPeek-trained stablemate Silverleaf in third. Candy Raid was scratched, leaving a field of seven. Interstatedaydream paid $2.60 and was timed in 1:43.78 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast dirt track.

Florent Geroux rode the winner for Flurry Racing Stable and trainer Brad Cox, who also entered Patna, who set moderate fractions of 24.04 and 48.26. Geroux had a tight hold on Interstatedaydream, who pressed the pace two wide, but Runaway Wife and Corey Lanerie came three paths wide to challenge down the backstretch and did not go away. Patna succumbed around the turn, but Runaway Wife took the fight to the favorite, actually forging to the lead in upper stretch.

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“Corey didn’t just think he’d pass me — he really did pass me almost three-quarters of a length,” Geroux said. Interstatedaydream held her position along the inside, got back on even terms with Runaway Wife under heavy urging from Geroux, and finally Runaway Wife was spent. “The last eighth of a mile she gave me another kick,” Geroux said.

Interstatedaydream, now 4-1-1 from six starts, is a Canadian-bred by Classic Empire out of Babcock, by Uncle Mo. Flurry Racing, Cox, and Geroux won the 2020 Indiana Oaks with Shedaresthedevil, who has gone on to become a Grade 1 winner, something connections hope Interstatedaydream also can achieve. Cox hinted he might pass on the 3-year-old filly Grade 1s at Saratoga and aim Interstatedaydream toward the Grade 1 Cotillion at Parx Racing, though that race doesn’t come up until Sept. 24.

“We’re going to let some of these fillies like Nest and Secret Oath,” the second- and first-place finishers in the Kentucky Oaks, “kind of duke it out maybe this summer.”

Saturday in Indiana, it was Interstatedaydream, expected to stroll, who had to duke it out to win.