Patience proved to be a virtue for owner/breeder Larry Fowler Jr. and trainer Gary Capuano on Oct. 14. Thanks to some fortuitous late scratches, their 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly Intrepid Daydream drew into the $100,000 Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation Maryland Million Distaff, and subsequently pulled away to a three-length victory.
Intrepid Daydream came into the race off two impressive victories in less than a month. The daughter of Jess’s Dream won the Shine Again Stakes at Pimlico on Sept. 16, and followed that performance with a win in Delaware Park’s Tax Free Shopping Distaff allowance on Sept. 28. Because she’s Maryland-bred, but not Maryland-sired, she was placed on the Distaff also-eligible list, and required three scratches to draw in. Moonboots and Mama G’s Wish were withdrawn early, but Capuano withheld from scratching her in case of one more defection. Malibu Moonshine was withdrawn later in the day, and Intrepid Daydream got her shot at Maryland Million glory. She went off as the even-money choice in an eight-horse field that included 2022 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year Fille d’Esprit and two-time Maryland-bred champion Luna Belle, both daughters of Great Notion, and recent Timonium Distaff winner Response Time (Mosler).
Intrepid Daydream broke smoothly from the outside post and raced four-wide in the early stages. Response Time set a moderate pace, going the first quarter in :23.47 with Fille d’Esprit and Malibu Beauty also in close pursuit. After an aggressive half-mile in :46.67, Fille d’Esprit and Malibu Beauty did not go on, and Jevian Toledo made his move aboard Intrepid Daydream. Response Time offered mild resistance in the stretch, but Intrepid Daydream pulled clear at the eighth pole and crossed the wire as much the best. Response Time held second, while Luna Belle rallied late to get third. The final time for seven furlongs over a dirt track labeled “good” was 1:24.62.
The victory improved Intrepid Daydream’s career mark to 6-3-1 from 12 starts, and $318,350 in earnings. This year, she’s won three of her six starts and has not finished out of the top three, earning $202,850 in the process. This is Capuano’s fifth Maryland Million win, making him the 20th trainer in Maryland Million history to win at least five races.
Intrepid Daydream is out of the unraced Jump Start mare Intrepid Tour. Fowler purchased Intrepid Tour’s dam, Hongkong Tour (Broken Vow), with Gary Capuano as agent, for $6,000 at the Keeneland September Yearling Sale in 2006 and campaigned her to four wins in five starts. Hongkong Tour also produced stakes-placed Touring Hong Kong (Cherokee’s Boy), the dam of stakes winners V. I. P. Ticket (Windsor Castle) and Award Wanted (Macho Uno).
From four reported foals of racing age, Intrepid Tour has produced three winners, all six-figure earners, the others being Intrepid Daydream’s full sister Intrepid Dream, a winner of four of five starts for earnings of $120,395, and Starting Tour (by Buffum), a six-time winner of $101,588. The 11-year-old mare has an unraced 2-year-old colt named Intrepid’s Legacy (Imagining) and produced a full-sister to Intrepid Daydream this past March. She was bred to Blofeld for 2024.
