Cal-bred News

Lava Man Headed for a Vacation

ARCADIA, Calif. (Nov. 3, 2007) – California-bred champion Lava Man, a disappointing sixth in Saturday’s $250,000 California Cup Classic, presented by Smith Barney, will be turned out for a break, trainer Doug O’Neill said after the race.

“He definitely will be sent to the farm,” said O’Neill. “He ran a good race and he gave us a flicker of that acceleration there at the 3, 3 ½-furlong pole. He just kind of flattened out there the last little bit. Actually, Corey (Nakatani) was extremely positive.

His post-race comments, to me at least, were that he felt great but got a little bit tired. He thought he got nothing out of the Del Mar race (Pacific Classic), he thought he got nothing out of the turf race (Oak Tree Mile) and he thought he got a lot out of this race. I told him we’re planning on giving him time off, and he said, ‘I wouldn’t send him to the farm.’ But he will see a farm.”

O’Neill said Lava Man also might undergo a nuclear scan to eliminate the possibility of an injury. Lava Man took the lead turning for home, but faded the final sixteenth to finished off the board for a third consecutive start.

“We’ll do all the proper diagnostics to make sure while he’s off, we’re doing what we should,” said O’Neill. “Right now, he’s a sound horse. He might be a little deflated, energy wise, from such a long campaign. But knock on wood, he’s sound. I feel I’m sending a horse to the farm that’s sound but a little bit tired. He’ll probably go within a week. We’ll let him wind down, gradually work him off the grain and then send him out to, I’m not sure which farm yet.”

Nakatani, Lava Man’s regular rider, made a case to keep Lava Man in training.

“Today, he did that normal move when he tried to separate himself going around the far turn. He got a little bit late, so you protect them from that point, said Nakatani. “So I let him catch his air and let him gallop on out to the three-quarter pole. The thing is, he’s moving forward and coming back to where he’s trying. At least, he’s putting in that effort. He’s trying.

“Ever since that race at Del Mar (Pacific Classic), he kind of went backwards. He never moved forward until this race.

There’s no question in my mind that this was a big step forward because he is trying to run. He had been giving us indications that he didn’t feel like doing it, and he didn’t do it. So, like I said, he tried to separate himself going to the far turn, and that was what we wanted to do. He just got a little tired. So he’s moving in the right direction.”

Coming into Saturday’s race, Lava Man had never finished worse than second in seven previous races at Santa Anita.