Lava Man Is Back in Business
On the day when Jerry Bailey’s illustrious career came to a close with a runner-up finish at Gulfstream Park, Lava Man revived his at Santa Anita.
Although the 5-year-old gelding’s victory in the $1-million Sunshine Millions Classic wasn’t visually on the level of his 9 3/4 -length tour de force in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup in July, it was plenty good enough to win the day’s signature event of the bicoastal Millions.
The last of eight races divided between Gulfstream and Santa Anita that are restricted to horses bred in California and Florida, the Classic was Lava Man’s richest win.
Claimed for $50,000 by trainer Doug O’Neill for owners Steve and Dave Kenley and Jason Wood in the summer of 2004, Lava Man now has eight wins in 28 starts and has earned nearly $1.6 million.
Rated behind a torrid pace, Lava Man saved ground for most of the way under jockey Corey Nakatani, angled out for clear sailing into the stretch and drew off to win by 2 1/4 lengths over 11-1 longshot Whos Crying Now and 10 others.
He ran the 1 1/8 miles in 1:49.98 as the 5-2 second choice. Buzzards Bay, the 2-1 favorite and winner of last year’s Santa Anita Derby, finished fourth.
This was a far better conclusion for O’Neill and the owners than Lava Man’s previous two races. He had been idle since being beaten by a combined 62 3/4 lengths in stakes in New York and Japan last fall.
“He was training great, but you never know after they run a couple of clunkers,” O’Neill said. “He ran like he had been training.”
O’Neill also was quick to credit blacksmith Jim Jiminez, the son of the late trainer by the same name, for a special shoe he created for Lava Man to train in after the California-bred exited the race in Tokyo with foot woes.
Meanwhile, Bailey couldn’t add to his 5,895 career wins, missing with three mounts. He also went home sore, courtesy of the last horse he rode.
Silver Tree, who finished second in the $500,000 Turf as the 9-10 favorite behind 48-1 longshot Miesque’s Approval, kicked the Hall of Fame rider in the hip in the paddock.
“I guess you could say I went out with a bang,” he said. “If I weren’t in so much pain from the kick, I probably would have broken down. The crowd has been beautiful. I just hope more of them bet to place than to win.”
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Another former claimer, Moscow Burning, went over $1 million in career earnings with a 1 1/2 -length victory in the $500,000 Turf, also run at Santa Anita.
Trained by Jim Cassidy for Bullseye Racing, the 6-year-old Moscow Ballet mare provided jockey David Flores with his second Sunshine Millions win of the day. Some 45 minutes earlier, Flores directed Hot Storm to her fifth win in a row as she defeated favored Western Hemisphere in the $300,000 Filly and Mare Sprint.
This was the second successful California invasion for Hot Storm, who is owned by Robert Adams and trainer Dallas Stewart. The 4-year-old Stormy Atlantic filly won the Sunshine Million Oaks at 21-1 last year.
In the other Sunshine Millions race run locally, favored Da Stoops dominated his opponents in the $250,000 Dash, winning by 7 1/2 lengths under jockey Victor Espinoza.
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California shippers ridden by Patrick Valenzuela won two of the four races at Gulfstream.
Bordonaro, who broke his maiden against $32,000 claimers April 1 at Santa Anita, has to be considered one of the country’s top sprinters after he won the $300,000 Sprint. Trained by Bill Spawr for owner-breeders Dan Cassella and Fred Carrillo, the 5-year-old Memo gelding won for the seventh time in nine starts. The 3-2 favorite, Bordonaro won by three-quarters of a length over 19-1 longshot Tacirring in a rapid 1:08.57 for the six furlongs.
After finishing off the board with Bettarun Fast in the $250,000 Oaks, which was won by 4-1 shot Joint Effort, Valenzuela romped to a 6 1/2 -length win atop House Of Fortune in the $500,000 Distaff. It was the eighth win in 22 starts for the California-bred daughter of Free House, who is owned by Arnold Zetcher and trained by Ron McAnally