It seems not only are the public waiting to holiday in Florida Villas but also the giant oak
Drew Coontz, assistant to trainer Chris Block, was all smiles Saturday morning a day after GIANT OAK (Giant's Causeway) brought the month of November to a successful close for the barn.
"I'm on cloud nine," Coontz said. "It's like winning the (Kentucky) Oaks (G1) and (Kentucky) Derby (G1)."
Giant Oak's victory in Friday's Clark H. (G1) via disqualification of Successful Dan (Successful Appeal) came on the heels of a Thanksgiving Day victory in the Falls City H. (G2) by the Block-trained Dundalk Dust (Military).
"He is doing great this morning and he will leave for Ocala tomorrow morning for some time off," Coontz said of Giant Oak, who will eventually be sent to Fair Grounds for a second shot at the New Orleans H. (G2) on March 26. The four-year-old finished fifth in the 2010 running of that race.
Giant Oak gave the Illinois-based Block stable its third stakes victory of the meet. Askbut I Won'ttell (Horse Chestnut [SAf]) had won the Cardinal H. (G3) on November 7.
"When I came here with Giant Oak (in early November before the Breeders' Cup), I had two horses waiting for me," Coontz said. "One was Askbut I Won'ttell and the other horse (Wulfgar [War Chant]) ran on the Friday night (November 19) program and got claimed."
The only Block runner that shipped in for a stakes and did not take home a major check was Mister Marti Gras (Belong to Me), who finished fifth in the Commonwealth Turf (G3) on November 13.
The Block runners shared the west end of Barn 48 with trainer Tony Reinstedler's stable.
"This was the spot to be in," Coontz said. "We did great, and Tony had four winners and two seconds from six starters. This was the right barn."
While Coontz and company were floating on cloud nine, a few barns away trainer David Fawkes was getting ready to drive DUKE OF MISCHIEF (Graeme Hall) back to South Florida after the colt was elevated to fifth on the disqualification of DEMARCATION (Gulch).
Duke of Mischief pressed the pressed from his outside post position (11) and was with the leaders until things got tight in the upper stretch.
"I thought he was maybe a little too close early, but then I saw :49 (:48 4/5) for the half-mile and I thought we might be all right," Fawkes said. "But then he got in tight in the stretch and he just doesn't like to be in a spot like that."
Fawkes said that Duke of Mischief came out of the race fine and would get some time off before possibly pointing to the Sunshine Millions at the end of January or possibly a return to the grass.
Finishing right behind Duke of Mischief was BRASS HAT (Prized), who was trying to become the fifth nine-year-old to win a Grade 1 race.
"That was just a tough field yesterday," trainer Buff Bradley said. "He had a safe trip and came back fine. He will take a couple of months off for a vacation, and if he stays healthy we would look at the Elkhorn (G2) at Keeneland in late April to start him back."
Meanwhile, trainer Paul McGee was wondering what might have after seeing both Demarcation and DUBIOUS MISS (E Dubai) with the leaders in upper stretch only to have the roof cave in when Demarcation caused the inference that led to his being placed last by the stewards.
"I really don't know what they were doing playing bumper cars at the three-sixteenths pole," McGee said. "(Jockey) Robby (Albarado) said he felt Dubious Miss was getting ready to explode and he was getting ready to set him down and then he gets walloped -- walloped by the home team."
McGee said both horses came out of the race in good order.
"I might give Demarcation some time off in Ocala," McGee said, "but he will eventually go to the Fair Grounds, where Dubious Miss will be."
Super Derby (G2) hero APART (Flatter), promoted to seventh after finishing eighth in the Clark, could eventually have a rematch with Giant Oak in the New Orleans 'Cap, according to trainer Al Stall Jr. The New Orleans native was interviewed Saturday morning by Jill Byrne on her paddock show at Churchill Downs, and Stall offered a humorous aside for the show.
"Whenever I got suspended, I was happy," said Stall, who would make use of the time by going right to Fair Grounds to watch the races. "Finally, they figured out that what they really had to do was making me sit on a bench in the hallway for six hours."
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