Giant Oak to target turf race, not Derby

Giant Oak, the second-place finisher in the Illinois Derby, will be kept out of the May 2 Kentucky Derby and will be pointed to a campaign on turf, trainer Chris Block said Monday.

"Physically, he's fine, but we don't think he's seasoned enough for a race like the Derby," Block said from Chicago, where he is based. "We're going to go back to the grass with him."

Block said the next likely start for Giant Oak would be the Arlington Classic at Arlington Park on May 23.