Giant Expectations

Giant Expectations, a 4-year-old New York-bred Frost Giant colt owned by Exline-Border Racing and Gatto Racing and trained by Peter Eurton, earned an automatic berth in the Breeders’ Cup Las Vegas Dirt Mile by winning the Grade 1, $200,000 Pat O’Brien Stakes at Del Mar on Aug. 26. The Pat O’ Brien was a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” qualifying race for the Las Vegas Dirt Mile.

The Pat O’Brien was Giant Expectations’ first stakes attempt. The late bloomer competed in California for his first seven races during 2016-2017, but did not break his maiden until shipping to New York, where he romped at Belmont Park by 9 ¾ lengths on a sloppy track in May. He then won an allowance race at Belmont before returning to California, where he finished a close second in another allowance optional claiming race prior to his 1 ½-length win over Calculator in the Pat O’Brien.

Giant Expectations was unplaced in his next two starts, the Grade 1 Santa Anita Sprint Championship and the Las Vegas Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile. But he successfully stretched out to two turns in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 2 San Antonio Stakes to post an upset win on the Dec. 26, 2017 opening-day card at Santa Anita, besting a short but classy field that included Pacific Classic winner Collected.