Dandona Delivers First Stakes Win for Libyan Connections in G3 Florida Oaks

Dandona had one horse beat heading into the Tampa Bay Downs stretch, but Flavien Prat pointed her to the outside rail and she did the rest, running down the field to win the Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks and deliver Tagermeen Racing its first stakes victory in the United States.

The Tiz the Law filly, trained by Saffie A. Joseph Jr., covered 1 1/16 miles on firm turf in 1:44.71 after clocking a mile split of 1:38.32. She paid $13 for the win, making her the value play of the afternoon in a field of 11 three-year-old fillies. It was her stakes debut and her second win from three career starts.

The race set up perfectly for a closer. At the top of the stretch, Laigina held a narrow lead with Time to Dream rallying hard along the inside rail. Dandona, meanwhile, was unleashing the strongest stretch run in the field. She swept past both rivals to hit the wire 1 1/4 lengths clear of Time to Dream, who finished second under Irad Ortiz Jr. for trainer Todd Pletcher. Kokomotion, the 9-5 favorite from the Whit Beckman barn, checked in another 2 1/4 lengths back in third, never threatening after looming as the morning's top threat. Laigina, Abigail, Bossy Candy, Special Wood, Alone Time, Backgammon, Bramble Blast, and Courageous Diane completed the order of finish.

The win carries particular significance for the ownership group. Tagermeen Racing is a Libyan-based operation formed by a group of Libyans, and Mahmud Mouni, the man who assembled the stable's roster through several million-dollar-plus purchases, oversaw the OBS Spring Sale acquisition that made this moment possible. Dandona cost $1,050,000 when Mouni bought her from the Kings Equine consignment, and Saturday's Grade 3 score is the first return on that investment at stakes level.

Dandona is a Kentucky-bred by Spotted Pony Stables, produced from Tulsa Queen, a mare by Cactus Ridge. The Tiz the Law sire line has established itself as a force on the turf since that stallion's own career, and Dandona's dominant stretch run suggests the surface suits her well. With a graded stakes win now on her résumé at just her third career start, she figures to attract attention on the three-year-old filly turf circuit for the rest of the spring.