Giant Oak gets the Illinois Horse of the Year title third time in a row topped with Illinois champion older handicap male
The six-year-old, Giant’s Causeway’s horse out of mare Crafty Oak, Giant Oak has won the title of the Horse of the Year for Illinois for third straight year. Owned by Virginia H. Tarra Trust, Giant Oak retired after the final start on 5th November in the Grade 2 Breeders’ Cup Marathon at Churchill Downs, raced over 1 ¾ miles.
He was placed third against Afleet Again and Birdrun.
On Monday, 13th February, the honour for the Horse of the Year was announced for a third time by the Illinois Thoroughbred Breeders and Owners Foundation. Giant Oak’s accomplishment did not end here as he was also awarded with the title of Illinois champion older handicap male.
Giant Oak who was trained by Chris M. Block had been a part of numerous graded races and had won Grade 1 Clark Handicap and Donn Handicap.
In 2009, Giant Oak scored second in the Grade 2 Indiana Derby and started the 2010 season with being placed third in the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap at Fair Grounds and then another third place reservation was seen in the Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland.
After missing out in three races in a row, Giant Oak bounced back by finishing the Grade 3 Washington Park Handicap at Arlington Park closest to the winner and then yet again conquering the second slot in the Grade 2 Hawthorne Gold Cup at Hawthorne Race Course.
The closing of 2010 season and the beginning of the new season were marked with victories, both in Grade 1. He stepped out of 2010 with the Grade 1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs under his belt and took the reins of the new season by claiming the Grade 1 Donn Handicap at Gulfstream Park.
In the remaining seven starts during the 2011 season, Giant Oak was placed thrice. His last season comprised of graded races only. He was third in the Grade 2 New Orleans Handicap at Fair Grounds and after getting defeated in two starts in between, he again got positioned third in the Grade 1 Whitney Handicap.
The Illinois bred did not get the chance to defend his Clark Handicap title in 2011 as Giant Oak endured a hind-end injury while he was working for the Clark Handicap at Hawthorne.
The injury led to his retirement to at Millennium Farms in Kentucky. It was a sorry ending for a horse so abundantly capable with not one or two but three Horse of the Year titles during his three years of racing.
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