Turf may be Lava Man’s future

Lava Man’s future might be back on the turf after a seventh-place finish in the Breeders’ Cup Classic in what trainer Doug O’Neill called a “lackluster” performance for the former claimer.

The 5-year-old gelding’s next race could be the Sunshine Millions Turf at Santa Anita in January after O’Neill scrapped the idea of going overseas for rich races on dirt tracks in Dubai or Japan.

“I think we needed to see a good performance to do that kind of ship,” O’Neill said.

Lava Man has Grade I stakes victories this year on the grass as well as the dirt, but he is 0 for 4 in his career on dirt outside California.

“He might be a tremendous turf horse who tolerates dirt tracks in California,” O’Neill said, adding that when Lava Man travels out of state again it is likely to be for a race on turf or a synthetic surface such as Polytrack.

“I’m sure we’ll venture out of California another time or two,” he said. “Hopefully, we can get better results down the road.”

Lava Man bled slightly in Saturday’s race but came out of it well, and his legs were cold Sunday morning, O’Neill said.

“I hate to use the old excuse, the track,” he said. “[Jockey Corey Nakatani] didn’t think he handled it super well. He was a little more anxious in the paddock than he has been in California. It’s so claustrophobic with so many people down there, and Corey even said it carried over to the post parade and the starting gate.

“All that leads to blood pressure getting up, the heart pumping. I think that led to him bleeding a little bit through the Lasix, but nothing substantial.

“Selfishly, I’m disappointed that we didn’t show our stuff. I thought Invasor just ran dynamite. I know I don’t get a vote, but he’d be my horse of the year.”

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O’Neill won’t have to shoulder the Juvenile Jinx this year. That goes to trainer Carl Nafzger, whose colt Street Sense won the Juvenile by a record 10 lengths. O’Neill’s Great Hunter finished third.

O’Neill won last year’s race with Stevie Wonderboy. He became the latest not to follow through with a Kentucky Derby victory after Stevie Wonderboy was injured and didn’t run. He is expected to make his comeback in the Malibu Stakes on Dec. 26, opening day at Santa Anita.

“It is weird how that’s happened,” O’Neill said. “It does seem like if you peak the first weekend in November, it’s hard to equal that the first Saturday in May. I tell you, Street Sense, I think he’s got a pretty good chance to break [the jinx].”

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Seen Sunday afternoon preparing to depart Louisville International Airport: a 747 bearing the flag of the United Arab Emirates. More than half a dozen vehicles with flashing lights surrounded the jumbo jet that presumably carried two of Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum’s sons, the only two members of Dubai’s ruling family who were reportedly at the Breeders’ Cup.

Invasor, owned by Sheik Mohammed’s brother, Sheik Hamdan, won the $5-million Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday.

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Thor’s Echo, the winner of the Sprint who is trained by O’Neill, is likely to make his next start in the DeFrancis Dash at Laurel Park in Maryland on Nov. 25 as his connections try to win the Eclipse Award as the top sprinter. Thor’s Echo is a 4-year-old son of Swiss Yodeler who had won only three of 16 starts before Saturday but had finished in the money 12 times.... Frankie Dettori, who rode Ouija Board and Red Rocks to Breeders’ Cup victories Saturday and was the only rider to win two races, received the Shoemaker Award as the top jockey of the Breeders’ Cup. Dettori was not at Churchill Downs to accept the award Sunday but had left for Australia to ride in the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday.... David Junior, the English horse who was eased in the Classic, was reported to be fine Sunday.... Aragorn, second in the Breeders’ Cup Mile, has been retired to stud at Lane’s End in Kentucky, trainer Neil Drysdale told Hollywood Park officials.

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robyn.norwood@latimes.com