OLDSMAR, Fla. - Dandona had just one horse beaten after the opening half-mile of Saturday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Florida Oaks for 3-year-old fillies at Tampa Bay Downs. Her jockey, Flavien Prat, was okay with that.
Launching a four-wide bid from next-to-last in an 11-horse field entering the far turn, Dandona sustained her run all the way to the wire and outfinished an inside-rallying Time to Dream to win the Florida Oaks by 1 1/4 lengths. Time to Dream finished second by 2 1/4 lengths over Kokomotion, the 9-5 favorite.
“She broke well, it felt like the pace was too hot for her, so I give her a chance,” Prat said. “She was traveling good considering the soft ground, I was able to get her outside and get going and she showed a good run.”
Dandona, a daughter of Tiz the Law owned by Tagermeen Racing and trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., covered the 1 1/16 miles over a course labeled good in 1:44.71 and returned $13 to win.
Time to Dream, making her first start since a 10th-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, had what jockey Irad Oritz Jr. said was a “decent trip,” though he thought she was inhibited some by the course condition.
“I wish at the three-eighths pole I could pick it up to hit that spot, but she bobbled a bit, track is a little soft and it cost me a little bit,” Ortiz said. “The winner got the position, now I had to look for something else. I went inside and I had all the chance to get there, the rail opened for me, but it wasn’t enough.”
Kokomotion, who rallied from last to win her maiden over firm ground on Feb. 7, was kept closer to the pace by John Velazquez over the good ground and didn’t show that same late foot as in her debut.
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