Giant Oak Headlines New Orleans 'Cap
Virginia Tarra Trust’s Giant Oak, who captured Gulfstream’s Grade I Donn Handicap Feb. 5, has been installed as the slight 5-2 morning line choice for Saturday’s 85th renewal of the Grade II New Orleans Handicap – Fair Grounds’ season highlight for older horses run as part of the Louisiana Derby Day program.
In the $400,000 New Orleans Handicap, run at nine furlongs on the main track, Giant Oak – trained by Chris Block – will be ridden once again by Shaun Bridgmohan, Fair Grounds jockey champion last season, who was aboard for the Donn and also Churchill’s Grade I Clark Handicap last fall when Giant Oak was the adjudged winner following a disqualification of the first horse under the wire. He carries the top impost of 122 pounds.
Among the dangerous rivals for Giant Oak Saturday are Twin
Creeks Racing Stable’s Mission Impazible, who won last season’s Grade
II Louisiana Derby and was second in this winter’s Grade III Mineshaft
Handicap,
Amerman Racing Stable’s Demarcation, winner of the Mineshaft, and Adele Dilschneider’s Apart, third in the Mineshaft and winner of last fall’s Grade II Super Derby at Louisiana Downs.
Mission Impazible shoulders 118 pounds including Garrett Gomez; Demarcation is assigned 118 with Rosie Napravnik astride; and Apart also carries 118 with Jesse Campbell aboard.
Completing the New Orleans Handicap field, with jockey and weights, is the Jim Tafel-owned coupling of Fast Alex, Trey Agilar (114) and Country Flavor, Shane Sellers (117); James Spence’s El Caballo, Robby Albarado (115); and Preston Stables’ Birdrun, Rajiv Maragh (119).