Multiple Grade 1 winner Giant Oak suffered a hind-end injury during a
training mishap Thursday at Hawthorne Race Course. The specific nature
of the injury has not yet been diagnosed, but Giant Oak certainly is out
of the Nov. 26 Clark Handicap and therefore almost certainly finished
racing in 2011.
Giant Oak's owners, Rudy and Virginia Tarra, plan to bring the
5-year-old horse back to race in 2012, but if it turns out he is badly
hurt, Giant Oak, a well-bred son of Giant's Causeway, could go off to
stud in the upcoming breeding season.
Giant Oak was hurt when a Dale Bennett-trained horse spooked from
something on the clubhouse turn at Hawthorne, darting from the outside
rail into the path of Giant Oak, who was galloping in the middle of the
track.
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