Living Legend Lava Man Settles into Old Friends

Under a warm, late autumn sun that peeked out over a partly cloudy sky at Old Friends on Nov. 26, nearly 200 people welcomed legendary multiple grade 1 winner and track pony extraordinaire Lava Man to his new Georgetown, Ky., home.

Well known for his brilliance under the tutelage of West Coast trainer Doug O'Neill, the son of Slew City Slew retired from the track in 2009 with a record of 17-8-5 from 47 starts. He excelled for STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood, who claimed him for $50,000 in 2004 after his 13th start. The Hall of Famer is equally known for serving as a steadfast track pony for the past 13 years.

At 21, the California-bred gelding who earned more than $5 million will live out the rest of his days at the Thoroughbred retirement farm alongside new stablemate Silver Charm  and other history makers.

Founder of Old Friends Michael Blowen says it is a full-circle moment to bring Lava Man home to the 236-acre farm he established in 2003.

"When he first retired from the track I got a call from Jason Wood, one of his owners, and he said, 'Can he come to Old Friends?' He was supposed to come here 12-13 years ago," Blowen said.  "At the last minute Doug wanted him as a pony. And that's when they decided to keep him.

"I was deeply disappointed. That predates Silver Charm. We didn't have a star of the magnitude of Lava Man. We had a lot of really good horses, but he would be like getting Elvis...They did what was right by the horse, obviously he did a great job with the other horses and did what he was supposed to do. He was treated like the king that he is. It all worked out, and sometimes you just have to wait."

The gelding arrived at the farm after shipping from California to work his last shift at the Breeders' Cup at Keeneland. He has adapted well, according to Blowen, and does not seem to mind the shift in temperature.

"He's a pro. He didn't do all that all those years on the racetrack both when he was racing and when he was a pony because he didn't know how to take care of himself. He's got superior intelligence," Blowen said.

"People often equate horses with humans. In some cases it's accurate and in some cases it's not, because I think he actually liked it cooler. We had some weather here already that was 20 degrees and he was out there. We had a blanket on him but he was out there, rolling and feeling good. I don't know that for sure, but so far it hasn't bothered him at all. He hasn't had a runny nose or any of those kinds of things."

Among the fans who came out Saturday afternoon was Nancy Diersen, who traveled 7 1/2 hours from Richmond, Va., to spend time with "Lava."

Diersen started following him "probably four years ago or so. I used to send treats out to him in California, so now I don't have to send them quite as far.

"His Facebook page, 'I am Lava Man,' I've been following him on that and through Doug O'Neill Racing. I am excited that Old Friends is able to take it over and continue it, which will be really cool for him and his fans."

Complete with a Lava Man T-shirt that featured photos of him on the front and back, Diersen's happiness to be in the presence of the gelding was palpable.

"He's larger than life, so flamboyant, knows where the camera is, and knows the camera is always on him," she said. "He's the consummate coach...It is so cool. It's bucket list to be able to see him, meet him, and feed him a carrot."

Making the trek from not quite as far away was Jessica Frindel, who arrived from Louisville. She said that in the past she has not been able to get out to see certain horses before they pass.

"I think it's his whole story that he was a racehorse and they kept him as a track pony...For him to be doing that at 21 years old, that's pretty impressive," Frindel said. "He just ponied Hot Rod Charlie at the Breeders' Cup and they brought him out here after that.

"I saw Einstein when he was here, and he wasn't here for that long before they had to put him down, so it's like 'let's go see him.'...Some of the horses I really loved out here are gone now, like War Emblem. I was a big fan of his."

Despite officially retiring from both of his careers on the track, Lava Man will continue to serve a purpose at his new home, where hopefully he will lure more visitors to the farm.

"It couldn't have worked out better, because his fans got to see him at the racetrack and now they get to see him here," Blowen said. "It means a lot to us because we exist because of visitors. Our financial foundation for this place isn't anything except the visitors. People that come to the farm and look around and think 'I think this is a good idea, I'm going to donate.' "

Blowen also said Lava Man may be a pushing factor to develop another Old Friends in California.

"I got a call from a lady at Santa Anita who said they would be interested in doing an Old Friends, so maybe this will be an impetus. He's on the cover of the new California breeders magazine and there's a reference that this great California-bred who did all this in California is going to Kentucky.

"The more places for more horses, the merrier. If he can spearhead that moment, it'll be great. I'm not sending him back," Blowen said with a chuckle.