Hall of Famer Lava Man on Road to Recovery

Among the thousands in attendance in the first weeks of Del Mar's 79th summer season was an old, familiar face.

Fourteen years prior, a dark bay gelding with a star, a stripe, and a blaze on his head finished second, beaten by four lengths in the first race of the day Aug. 13, 2004. In the aftermath of that 1 1/16-mile claimer, that horse—a California-bred named Lava Man—was claimed for $50,000 by trainer Doug O'Neill for owners Dave and Steve Kenly's STD Racing Stable and Jason Wood.

Lava Man eventually went on to become one of California's most prominent racehorses and the all-time leading earner among claimers, with earnings of more than $5.2 million.

"The owners get credit for claiming him, but I saw that he was a big, good-looking horse," O'Neill said. "He looked like a special horse, and he really developed into the best horse I've ever had."

Up until recently, the 17-year-old Lava Man was at Del Mar residing in O'Neill's barn for the track's summer season. O'Neill said seeing him again at the shore oval elicited fond memories.

"This is the place that we got lucky enough to be united with him, and to bring him back here at age 17 and see him on the track again was definitely pretty special," he said.

On July 31, however, O'Neill said on Twitter that Lava Man had a colic episode, which required surgery to correct a twisted intestine. He is now recovering at San Luis Rey Equine Clinic in Bonsall, Calif., and O'Neill said he and his team are optimistic about his recovery.

"He's going after his feed real well, the clinic is very happy with him … if they're happy, we're happy," O'Neill said. "He looks shiny and healthy. A lot of times, even in these short periods of time, they'll drop off, but he does look like he's kept his muscle. Seventeen years old and he's (still) a warrior."

Being something of a warrior and defying odds was a common theme in the Hall of Fame horse's 47-race career.

Foaled in 2001 as an offspring of Slew City Slew, Lava Man first ran as a 2-year-old in a $12,500 claiming race at the San Joaquin County Fair in Stockton, Calif., in 2003 and finished fourth at 36-1.

But he managed to work his way up to three wins from 12 starts before he was put up for claim that day at Del Mar by former part-owner and trainer Lonnie Arterburn.

"History is not one of my strengths, but I would say in my personal history, he's the greatest claim ever," O'Neill said.

Two years later, during his 2006 campaign, Lava Man racked up seven straight wins and four grade 1 triumphs in California, including a sweep of the state's top races for older horses—the Santa Anita Handicap (G1), the Hollywood Gold Cup Stakes (G1), and the Pacific Classic Stakes (G1). By the end of his racing career in 2009, he had 17 wins, including 13 stakes victories, and $5,268,706 in earnings.

Veteran jockey Corey Nakatani, the regular rider for Lava Man, said the horse was one of a kind.

"Just look at the history of the horse," Nakatani said. "I rode a lot of good horses—Hall of Fame horses—and he's by far the best horse I ever sat on. Hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to tell my grandkids what he did, because he is just such an amazing, special animal."

Even off the racetrack, Lava Man is considered extraordinary by those who know him.

"He's extremely smart. He's extremely confident. He is a natural leader," O'Neill said. "There's not a pasture (in the world) you could put him in that he wouldn't be the leader of that pasture."

This natural leadership is part of why his connections decided to make Lava Man a stable pony for O'Neill's barn upon his retirement. His new role prompted the horse, who quickly took to his new position guiding the younger horses, to be nicknamed "Coach."

"He tries to pretend that he is the man (and) to tell the other horses what to do, even with the riders on them," said Leandro Mora, O'Neill's top assistant. "So that's why he picked up the name 'Coach.' I believe horses have their own language, and I think he tells them, if he has to tell them, 'What the hell do you think you're doing?'"

Lava Man's leadership and coaching abilities were best exemplified in 2012, when I'll Have Another , the first horse he got to pony, won the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Lava Man was with him every step of the way.

"I really think he gave I'll Have Another the confidence he needed to excel under those pressured situations. He's really a great role model and great mentor," O'Neill said. 

With Lava Man recovering from his colic surgery for the next few months, Mora said the horse likely will be kept away from the racetrack for the time being. However, he couldn't be sure how long he'll be able to resist the lure.

"He was born to become a racehorse and an active horse on the track," Mora said. "The one time we tried to send him away to retirement, he wasn't too happy. And he came back and we immediately knew that he wasn't done being involved with this yet. So we are checking on where he's going to be, and if he's too sad, we're going to have to bring him back."