He sure didn’t look like a claim to fame then

The first time Steve Kenly asked trainer Doug O’Neill for an opinion on California-bred Lava Man, entered on turf at Del Mar on July 28, 2004, and eligible to be claimed for $62,500, O’Neill discouraged Kenly from adding the horse to his STD Racing Stable.

“I always like to be a devil’s advocate,” O’Neill said. “You don’t want to be overly excited or it seems too obvious that you’re a selfish trainer who wants any horse on the grounds.”

His decision seemed justified after Lava Man finished sixth and moved up to fifth through a disqualification. But something about Lava Man stuck in Kenly’s mind. Maybe his spirit, or his versatility on dirt or turf.

Two weeks later, Lava Man’s claiming price had shrunk to $50,000, and Kenly insisted that O’Neill take a closer look at the dark brown gelding before he raced at Del Mar.

“He basically said to me, ‘As long as he looks good in the paddock, take him,’ ” O’Neill said. “And the horse looked remarkable in the paddock.”

Not nearly as remarkable as Lava Man’s victory Saturday in the $1-million Santa Anita Handicap, which allowed him to join John Henry -- another legendary claimer -- and Milwaukee Brew as the only horses to win the prestigious 1 1/4 -mile race two years in a row.

With the sun setting on an exceptionally sunny and warm day, Lava Man toyed with his bit a number of times as he walked to the starting gate, sticking out his tongue repeatedly to get comfortable with it. Once he reached the gate, he was calm and businesslike, and he pulled away from a three-horse pack at about the three-quarter-mile point.

Perhaps tired by the 124-pound weight he carried, the 6-year-old held on to win in 2 minutes 2.11 seconds on a fast track, padding his total career winnings to $4,682,706 and earning applause from a crowd of 43,024 that seemed eager to witness history.

All in all, not a bad investment for Kenly, a Phoenix resident who shares ownership of Lava Man with his father, Dave, and a friend, Jason Wood of Rancho Santa Margarita.

O’Neill can laugh now about his initial second thoughts about claiming Lava Man, and the ownership group enjoyed plenty of chuckles Saturday after Corey Nakatani guided Lava Man home for his eighth consecutive victory in California. Overall, Lava Man has won 16 times in 37 starts.

“I had to really convince this guy to take him,” Steve Kenly said, as O’Neill shook his head in mock dismay.

O’Neill said that when he looked at Lava Man that second time, in the Del Mar paddock, he saw “such a strong, good-feeling horse. That sold him on the deal.

“I think that’s the key,” O’Neill said. “When you’re a claiming trainer, you’re looking for if a horse has a real dull coat, maybe they’re not healthy. Or if they might have some leg issues that they’re dealing with, or they’re not eating good.

“If the coat looks good and they’re walking good, for the most part their legs are in good shape. His coat looked great and he was walking great and the Kenlys and Wood wrote a check.”

O’Neill recalled watching John Henry become the first back-to-back Big ‘Cap winner in 1982, albeit through a disqualification. O’Neill and a “degenerate buddy” took three buses to the track from their home in Santa Monica, and he watched from the infield when John Henry was declared the winner. He was thrilled “to be in the same stat line” as John Henry, to whom Lava Man has been compared in areas beyond their common past as claimers.

They’re about the same height, observers say. And like the ornery John Henry, who bit almost anyone who dared approach him, Lava Man is a spirited, lively gelding.

Laffit Pincay, who rode John Henry for the first of the horse’s back-to-back Big ‘Cap victories, called the horse “a fighter” during a ceremony Saturday to honor John Henry’s achievements. Ron McAnally, John Henry’s trainer, said John Henry “was a special horse, and I thank the Lord we were able to have him.”

Lava Man has a way to go in extending the comparisons to John Henry, a two-time horse of the year. Most notably, Lava Man is 0 for 4 outside of California. With that in mind, O’Neill and the horse’s owners said that depending on how Lava Man recovers, they’ll consider sending him to the $5-million Dubai Duty Free later this month, a 1 1/8 -mile race on turf.

O’Neill had a big day too, training four winners and helping his mother, Dixie, snare a bunch of the jockey lamps that were given away to fans. He pronounced himself numb, but knew he wouldn’t have long to enjoy his euphoria.

“That’s the nice thing about having a wife and two kids,” he said. “As soon as I get home, my wife will yawn at me and my kid will throw up on me. Back to reality.”

*

helene.elliott@latimes.com