Trainer Doug O'Neill's stable of five Breeders' Cup hopefuls had their first look at Churchill Downs on Sunday morning with one notable exception.
Lava Man, the five-time Grade 1 winner and likely second or third choice for the $5-million Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) on Saturday at Churchill Downs, just walked under tack at barn 36 with assistant trainer Leandro Mora overseeing the five-year-old Slew City Slew gelding's every move.
"We're sticking to the same routine we've had for him all year," Mora said. "He'll go out to the track at about 9-9:15 [a.m. EST] each morning and walk the day of the race. He acclimates really good; I think he'll handle the track."
Lava Man became the first horse in the history of California racing to sweep the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), Hollywood Gold Cup Handicap (G1), and Pacific Classic Stakes (G1) in a single season. He is undefeated and has earned $2,770,000 in seven starts this year.
All those starts have come in Southern California, where he has won ten of his last 11 starts. He is winless in two starts outside California, beaten a combined 62 1/4 lengths in the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) and Japan Cup Dirt (Jpn-G1) last year.
"He bled at Belmont [in the Gold Cup] and never got good footing in Japan," Mora said. "I still think that he can run well when shipping. It's just he's had some bad luck in those races."
Lava Man has answered a lot of questions this year in winning his seven races by a combined 15 lengths. He has won two stakes on turf, including the Charlie Whittingham Handicap (G1), and he has handled the Classic distance of 1 ¼ miles on dirt three times—winning on the lead once and while pressing the pace on two other occasions. The question of whether he can ship remains to be answered, however.
O'Neill trains Lava Man for a partnership between STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood, which claimed the gelding for $50,000 on August 13, 2004, at Del Mar. Since then, he has won ten of 21 races. He has won 14 of 34 career starts and earned $3,804,706. Mora said that Lava Man could contest the Dubai World Cup (UAE-G1) next year at Nad al Sheba.—Ed DeRosa
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