Lava Man gets Second Big 'Cap
Claimer Champ gives 43,024 Santa Anita fans Ninth Straight Victory
The Santa Anita Handicap's biggest crowd since 1992 cheered Lava Man on March 3 to a second straight Big 'Cap. His owners said the $6 million Dubai is his next race.
Six-year-old Lava Man carried high weight of 124 pounds, and was challenged, but not vanquished on March 3 on his home ground.
Back to back Big 'Caps
Lava Man took on seven rivals in the $1 million Santa Anita Handicap, put them away in a gutsy stretch run, and became only the third thoroughbred to fashion back-to-back victories in the Big 'Cap. The game gelding surged in a powerful statement from the top of the stretch to pull next to the two speed leaders, Ball Four and Spring At Last, and pounded out the win in grand final strides. He finished in 2:02.11 for the 1-1/4 miles.
The legendary John Henry and Milwaukee Brew are the only two other horses to win the Big 'Cap two years running. John Henry won the Santa Anita Handicap in 1981 and 1982. He copped Horse of the Year honors twice, and is a Racing Hall of Fame member. Milwaukee Brew captured the Big 'Cap in 2002, and again in 2003.
Dubai World Cup races next?
Lava Man's owners said their charismatic gelding may go next to the 2007 US$6 million Dubai World Cup races, United Arab Emirates, scheduled for March 31. The Nad al Sheba race course in the Middle East desert has hosted several American winners, including the great Cigar, the Dubai's inaugural victor, Pleasantly Perfect in 2004, and Roses in May, 2005. Cigar remains America's leading money champion.
Corey Nakatani, Lava Man's regular rider, said the gelding got a tad tired toward the end of the Big 'Cap run carrying the high weight, but he was able to find the heart to finish in front. Molengao, a strong grade two winner from Brazil, powered into a late charge in the stretch from the outside. Lava Man pushed hard to the wire to get the three-quarters of a length score. It was his ninth consecutive home win.
Lava Man leading money claimer
In 2003, trainer Doug O'Neill purchased Lava Man on behalf of owners David and Steve Kenly, of Phoenix, and their partner, Jason Wood, of Rancho Santa Margarita. The purchase of $50,000 came out of a claiming event at Stockton, California. O'Neill was certain he saw grade one potential in the gelding. It wasn't until the Malibu Stakes of 2004 that Lava Man opened other eyes. He ran a clearly legitimate second to the heralded Rock Hard Ten, a consistent stakes winner at age four.
Everything came to light for Lava Man in 2005. O'Neill added blinkers to the gelding's harness. He went on a three-race win streak. The topper was an 8-3/4 length romp in the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (gr. l).
The champion gelding is now the richest claimer in history with total earnings of $4,679,706. His overall five-year racing card reads 16 wins, and placings and showings in ten other races, from 37 career starts.
O'Neill's other colts
Currently, O'Neill has two top ten 2007 Derby prospects, including No.1 Great Hunter, who scored March 3 in the renamed Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita. His other Derby contender is No.7 Notional, pointed next to the March 31 Florida Derby.
Lava Man's fans approve
Lava Man's Big 'Cap triumph scored mightily with his fans, who cheered him wildly to the wire. He ran in front of the biggest crowd to gather at the race course for an individual's performance since 1992.
Last year, Lava Man won all seven California starts. His tidal wave of victories included the Big 'Cap, the Pacific Classic Stakes (gr. l), and the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (gr. l), a triple straight win performance never before achieved.
Outside his borders again in the 2006 Breeders' Cup Classic Powered by Dodge (gr. l), Lava Man didn't have his A game. He finished seventh in the November 4 run at Churchill Downs.
Still no Eclipse Award
As a result of the loss, he was shunned at the annual Eclipse awards. He garnered just three votes in the Horse of the Year category, losing to Invasor, 228 votes, and the crippled Barbaro, 21 votes. Invasor also captured the Champion Older Male title with 262 votes to Lava Man's eight tallies. Male Turf Horse champion Miesque's Approval, with 74 votes, edged out The Tin Man, 69 votes, and English Channel, 63 votes, and overshadowed Lava Man, who got just seven marks.
The Slew City Slew bred gelding gets high praise, however, from his connections for his versatility. The popular runner has entered races across the country, and in particular, has showed no preference for dirt, or turf.
Nothing "special", Specht says
Steve Specht, trainer of McCann's Mojave, said before the running of the 2007 Big 'Cap that he had no qualms in facing Lava Man. His charge came into the race having last won on January 27 in the $1 million Sunshine Millions Classic Stakes (gr. ll), at Gulfstream Park, a two-length win. Specht said he believed Lava Man was a good horse, but nothing "special" and was beatable from a good trip. Lava Man achieved a two-length victory in the Sunshine Millions San Manuel Indian Bingo and Casino Turf Stakes, at Arcadia, California, in his last previous race, also on January 27.
In the Big 'Cap, McCann's Mojave finished off the board, while Lava Man muscled his way to victory for the second straight year. Perhaps Lava Man is nothing special, but, nonetheless, his legacy is in a very large growth spurt.
