Midnight Stroll was all heart and class on Saturday when denying late-running Shotgun Hottie by a head in Delaware Park's Grade 3, $300,000 Delaware Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles. The pace was very swift as Chardonnay bounced out to the front after bobbling leaving the starting gate. She raced the opening quarter in 23.16 seconds while pressured by Unadulterated and jockey Feargal Lynch. Unadulterated was extremely keyed up, though, and she moved forward to open a commanding four-length lead after a half-mile in 46.69. Meanwhile, Midnight Stroll saved ground in a comfortable midpack position under Eric Cancel. Cancel eased Midnight Stroll off the rail entering the far turn and they set sail after Unadulterated. Midnight Stroll claimed the lead following six furlongs in 1:11.13 and braced for Shotgun Hottie's assault. :: Get up to 50% off on DRF's premium products, including Past Performances, Clocker Reports, Betting Strategies, Picks, the Digital Paper, and DRF Plus Pro! Shotgun Hottie, who settled back behind the quick fractions, had the outside momentum under a hard drive, but Midnight Stroll was very determined. Cancel allowed Midnight Stroll to drift outward slightly and they held firm to prevail in 1:44.31 seconds. Midnight Stroll survived a stewards' inquiry into the stretch run. Shotgun Hottie was easily second, four lengths ahead of Morning Matcha in third. Republique, Sandstone, Unadulterated and Chardonnay completed the order of finish. Frippet scratched.  Midnight Stroll paid $7.20 as the second choice in the betting. "She broke okay, a little bit outwards," said winning trainer John Terranova by phone from Belmont Park, where he saddled Fluid Situation in the Dwyer Stakes. "He [Cancel] saved the ground on the first turn and got her comfortable." Midnight Stroll was bred in Florida by Dr. Carolin Von Rosenberg and is owned by Gatsas Stables, R. A. Hill Stable, and Steven Schoenfeld. A daughter of Not This Time, Midnight Stroll was unplaced in both starts as a 2-year-old but came to hand in 2022. She began the campaign with a gate-to-wire maiden special weight victory traveling 1 mile and 40 yards at Tampa Bay Downs on Feb. 26, then successfully cut back in distance to grab the seven-furlong Stonehedge Farm South Sophomore Fillies for statebreds there on March 27. Midnight Stroll finished ninth after a troubled trip in Pimlico's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan on May 20. She was entered in last Saturday's Mother Goose at Belmont, but Terranova maintained he was leaning toward the Delaware Oaks all along. "We're going to Saratoga, for sure," Terranova responded when asked about Midnight Stroll's next placement. "It would be a big step up, but she's still a developing talent. She has a lot of class. I think her best days are ahead of her." :: Bet the races on DRF Bets! Sign up with code WINNING to get a $250 Deposit Match, $10 Free Bet, and FREE DRF Formulator.