Lava Man

[declansharbor]

Originally Posted by Ronnie

Why is it that when a horse loses it's time to retire him?

Had this been his first failure to get the distance needed, you would probably have more people on your side of the argument. He's backed up badly in his most recent races. A blind man could even see that his form is in sharp decline. They've tried to shorten him up, he fires a dud. They try to lessen the quality of his foes, he fires a dud.
I think it's tough for people to remember back to just last year, when this horse was winning every G1 thrown his way. Now, he's relegated to G2's and non graded stakes, and not running to his old self's capabilities. Granted, those G1's were all in Cali, but those were the horses put in his way, and he handled them accordingly. This just isn't the case anymore. He lacks his closing kick, his bread and butter. The ability to sit nicely with a tactical trip, and then pounce on the pace setters, leaving them in his dust. When a horse of his calibur loses that, it's time to hang it up. Not enter him in any race just to gather purse money.
In his prime, the boy could run. Noone can ever take that away from him. Could't ship if his life depended on it, but that's how the game goes sometimes. When your entered in a claimer race one year and then accrue as much as he did the next few, what more can we ask of him? Here's to a great California career.

[Danzig]

i've been thinking it's time to give him a break. rest him up a while. he hasn't had time off in a while....
freshen him up. then we'll see.



besides, this sport is too quick to send a horse to retirement. just give him a bit of r and r. then see how he does.

[onebadbeast]

Forget The Rest, Retire The Old Warrior, Greed Kills!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by onebadbeast

Forget The Rest, Retire The Old Warrior, Greed Kills!

greed? i thought those who retired a horse after about eight starts were greedy??

if the horse is sound, i say again, there is NO reason to retire him. maybe he feels as i do right now, sick to death of where i work. at times it gets that way, hopefully for him and me both, it will pass....

give him a break, then see.

but enough please with the 'greed' comments. people don't get into racing for GREED, they oftentimes get OUT due to the red ink.

[ELA]

Originally Posted by Danzig

greed? i thought those who retired a horse after about eight starts were greedy??

if the horse is sound, i say again, there is NO reason to retire him. maybe he feels as i do right now, sick to death of where i work. at times it gets that way, hopefully for him and me both, it will pass....

give him a break, then see.

but enough please with the 'greed' comments. people don't get into racing for GREED, they oftentimes get OUT due to the red ink.

Agreed.

Eric

[Port Conway Lane]

If Lava Man gets his rest and comes back at 7 next year and wins a restricted Calbred stake I'll be impressed.Time catches up with them all and I have a hunch he's seen his best days. When he finally does retire he'll have left his legacy as the best gelding of the decade,perhaps the last two.He's truly a memorable racehorse.

[geeker2]

Who remembers Catfish Hunter in his final outings - that slider looked like an oversized grapefruit hanging on a branch - it was just painful to watch... as a fan..that's the way I feel when I now see Lava Man "run".. I am trusting that owners & trainer will do the right thing.

[Bobby Fischer]

it was really special that he won the Gold Cup again this year even though it was switched to polytrack.

The dubai trip pointlessly threw him into another situation where he was totally outclassed by the field. It was a high class field trip for the connections.

So close to running him in the classic this would be tough for any horse to hold form.

Lava Man is a rare horse that you can pointlessly run him in the BC or Dubai and he bounces back time and again. This is the most positive indicator that he can still be useful in 2008.

He came back with such a brilliant run in the Whittingham. He showed he still has it.


The synthetic-turf surfaces are just too difficult for Lava Man. He won the Gold Cup edging a weary A.P Xcellent only because of the weak field, his class, the amazing form from the Whittingham and he hadn't yet been conditioned to quit.


The Pacific Classic effectively ended his 2007 campaign. They tried to make the horse run 10 furlongs on an extreme surface. Took a lot out of him and for the first time in quite a while in Cali he was asked to do something beyond his scope.

Lava Man runs near the pace and then strikes the front on the turn. No one wins that way on synthetic-turf. Even in the best form of his life he wouldn't win consistently on these surfaces. On the fast-cushion track at Santa Anita you get 3 or 4 sprinters up on a hot pace for the heart of the race , and then 5 or 6 turf horses all make a run in the stretch. On the Del Mar surface the stretch seems to slant up-hill as 10 furlong dirt horses struggle and strain to climb a mountain of pedigree and stamina. This is "extreme" racing. Only horseracing would run "Xtreme racing" and not profit from it on a cheesy espn show...


Since he can't ship away from the synthetic-turf his only hope now is to look for soft spots on the real turf. Obviously he shouldn't be placed in 1 mile races against classy horses. 9 and 10 furlongs vs. moderate california competition is his remaining option. Races where he can be a controlling speed and his style will actually benefit. The best move would be patience (skipping the tempting Sun Million Turf).

[Cajungator26]

Originally Posted by Danzig

i've been thinking it's time to give him a break. rest him up a while. he hasn't had time off in a while....
freshen him up. then we'll see.



besides, this sport is too quick to send a horse to retirement. just give him a bit of r and r. then see how he does.

Maybe he's sick of California!

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

Maybe he's sick of California!

mmmmm....nah.
i think he just needs a break. i do!
have the week after t'giving off. if i make it that long. looking forward to 11 days off.
if i don't just walk out first.

[letswastemoney]

There are plenty of horses with much worse decline in form than Lava Man that are still running.

He could still like to race and it's just that he's slow.

[Pedigree Ann]

Originally Posted by letswastemoney

There are plenty of horses with much worse decline in form than Lava Man that are still running.

He could still like to race and it's just that he's slow.

When horses he has beaten handily in the past blow by him? Puhleeze!

Definitely should have a break, at least until next spring, and a thorough going over from a vet. Let him just be a horse for a while. It can work wonders for the attitude.

[jms62]

At this point they are facing the perfect storm. Lavaman can't ship and he can't run on synthetic.. Bay Medows ?

[FGFan]

Originally Posted by Cajungator26

Maybe he's sick of California!

Maybe he misses his groom....ironic his decline started after his grooms tragic accident. Horses can be creatures of habit.

I hope he gets a good rest and comes back his old self. Doesn't matter to me at all that he only loves to race in Cal.
If not he will always be a very special horse and he earned a great retirement.
I don't believe his owners would ever put him in for a claim, maybe optional claiming and not put a tag on him, but I believe they will stand by this horse.
I will always be a Lava Man fan.

[azerica]

I too hope to see him out of the claim game. He has a big fan base. It would break my heart to see him downgraded. After a good rest, just see if he bounces back. If not...I'm thinking lead pony...at least he will still be in track atmosphere.