"We are going to take our time with him, we're going to aim for later in the year and so far he's been very good."

Trot Insider caught up with trainer and co-owner Rene Dion for his reaction on Flanagan Memory winning a second O'Brien Award and an update on the Older Trotting Horse of the Year at the Black Tie Gala on Saturday, Jan. 28 in Mississauga, Ont.

Flanagan Memory won six of 14 races during his award-winning six-year-old campaign in 2016. The son of Kadabra banked more than $663,000 and earned major wins in the Allerage Farms Open Trot and Breeders Crown Championship. He was a consistent competitor throughout the year, finishing no worse than fourth-place in his stakes engagements, including the Charlie Hill Memorial, Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, John Cashman Jr. Memorial, Crawford Farms Open Trot, Maple Leaf Trot, and International Trot. This was his second O’Brien Award as he secured Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt honours in 2013.

To view the full list of 2016 O'Brien Awards winners, click here.