DEL MAR – Lava Man came here a year ago on a California roll, having won five straight signature events at the state's major tracks.
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Lava Man enters the Eddie Read Handicap with career earnings of more than $5.2 million.
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The then-6-year-old gelding swept the Santa Anita Handicap, Hollywood Gold Cup and Pacific Classic in 2006 and had the '07 Big 'Cap and Gold Cup under his girth strap with dead aim at the Pacific Classic.
Then Lava Man struggled home sixth of 12 as the 6-5 favorite in a slowly run Pacific Classic on a tiring Polytrack surface. Things haven't been the same for the noble old warrior since. And circumstances going into tomorrow's Grade I, $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap are mighty different from a year ago.
The career earner of more than $5.2 million from 17 victories in 45 career starts is on a five-race losing streak begun in the '07 Pacific Classic.
He'll have a different rider, Tyler Baze getting a repeat call after being aboard for the Charlie Whittingham Handicap on June 7 at Hollywood Park, ending Corey Nakatani's streak of guiding Lava Man in 18 straight races.
And the Read is a 1 1/8-mile turf race, the surface of three of Lava Man's past four starts, including the Whittingham.
In that race, at 1¼ miles an eighth of a mile longer than the Read, Lava Man led through the first three quarters and battled tenaciously to be third behind Artiste Royal and Monzante beaten by a neck.
“I haven't had a horse with this much heart,” Baze said afterward. “I couldn't believe it. The old boy's back. He ran awesome.”
At a time when handicappers were saying that Lava Man had lost more than a step, and even California bettors no longer made him the favorite, the Whittingham effort restored some faith for trainer Doug O'Neill and the ownership group of Steve, Tracy and Dave Kenly and Jason Wood.
“We needed it big time,” O'Neill said. “We really needed to see that aggressiveness from him. It gave us confirmation his morning activities weren't just morning activities and he still had that competitive nature racing in the afternoon.”
O'Neill resisted the temptation to give Lava Man a go at a title defense in the Hollywood Gold Cup three weeks after the Whittingham. That race was won gate-to-wire by Mast Track, with Baze aboard after probable odds-on favorite Heatseeker, the expected speed, scratched because of a career-ending injury.
“I don't (have second thoughts) about the Gold Cup from one standpoint,” O'Neill said. “In terms of energy (Lava Man) wasn't ready. But from the way the race turned out, it would have set up well for him if he could have been ready for it.”
An important part of what used to be referred to as Team Lava Man will be missing tomorrow. Noe Garcia, the horse's regular groom, lost an arm in an automobile accident on Interstate 5 on his way to Del Mar a year ago. Garcia has been outfitted with a prosthetic arm, but has chosen to remain at O'Neill's main base at Hollywood Park.
“Noe is kind of haunted by what happened here last year and I don't think he'll be down this meeting,” O'Neill said.
A strong effort in the Read would make it tempting to enter Lava Man in the $1 million Pacific Classic on Aug. 24.
“A lot will depend on the (Polytrack surface),” O'Neill said. “That track last year at times was so tiring that it didn't fit his style. It has been very good so far this meeting, but we'll just have to see how it goes and kind of play that by ear.”
Hank Wesch: (619) 293-1853; hank.wesch@uniontrib.com
