LAVA MAN'S WIN SETS UP A SHOWDOW 5-YEAR-OLD GELDING FACES EASTERN HOT SHOT IN BID FOR HORSE OF YEAR.Byline: ART WILSON Arthur Earl "Dutch" Wilson (December 11, 1885 in Macon, Illinois; died June 12, 1960 in Chicago, Illinois) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. Art Wilson was the catcher for Cubs pitcher Hippo Vaughn during the "double no-hitter" game in 1917. Staff Writer ARCADIA -- After nine-plus months, it's come down to East vs. West. Sophomore hot shot vs. 5-year-old gelding gelding castrated male horse. . The colt described by some as freakishly freak·ish adj. 1. Markedly unusual or abnormal; strange: freakish weather; a freakish combination of styles. 2. Relating to or being a freak: a freakish extra toe. good vs. a horse who still has a lot to prove outside his home state of California. Within his home state, however, that 5-year-old proved himself yet again on Saturday. Lava Man Lava Man (foaled on March 20, 2001) is a dark bay gelded thoroughbred race horse by Slew City Slew (Seattle Slew) out of L'il Ms. Leonard (Nostalgia's Star) who rose from the lowest levels of claiming races to become regarded by many racing fans and members of the racing media as a , claimed for $50,000 in August 2004 at Del Mar Del Mar is the name of several places in the United States of America:
Meanwhile, at Belmont Park in New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , Bernardini was busy making short work of three opponents in the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup The Jockey Club Gold Cup, established in 1919, is a prestigious thoroughbred flat race open to horses of either gender three-years-old and up. It is typically the main event of the fall meeting at Belmont Park, just as the Belmont Stakes is of the spring meeting and the Travers . He won so easily that jockey Javier Castellano was caught looking back at the top of the stretch, searching in vain for any threat from behind. ``He's a freak, no doubt about it,'' Lava Man's trainer, Doug O'Neill, said of Bernardini, who has won six consecutive races and appears to be getting stronger with each one. But Lava Man has a little winning streak of his own with seven consecutive victories, and at least one member of his team thinks the Bernardini camp might be in for a surprise when the two hook up as expected in the $5 million Breeders' Cup Classic The Breeders' Cup Classic is a Grade 1 Weight for Age thoroughbred horse race for 3 years old and older run at a distance of 1¼ miles (2012 m) on dirt. It is held annually at a different racetrack in the United States or Canada as part of the Breeders' Cup. on Nov.4 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky. ``Bernardini is scary, no doubt about it,'' owner Steve Kenly said. ``But I don't think he's looked a horse in the eyes like Lava Man yet and pulled away.'' It was Kenly, who shares ownership of Lava Man with his father, David, and Jason Wood, who was so keen on claiming the gelding at Del Mar. He saw a horse who could run on both dirt and turf and wanted to take a chance on a runner that nobody else wanted that summer afternoon. O'Neill wasn't as optimistic as Kenly but put in the claim for his client. ``I know Steve doesn't drink, so he had to have a good reason for wanting him so bad,'' O'Neill joked. The rest is history. He's won Grade I races for his new owners on dirt and turf, and he turned in one of his best efforts Saturday, leading almost the entire race under regular jockey Corey Nakatani in 1:48.15 for the 11/8-mile distance. ``It's just what we wanted,'' Kenly said. ``We wanted the rail, we wanted to save ground. We wanted the easiest race possible. We didn't want him to leave his best race on the track here today. ``Going in, you heard all this talk about Brother Derek being the speed horse. Well, our horse is a speed horse (too). That's his game. Our attitude was, let's take it to 'em.'' And take it to 'em is just what Nakatani did. After winning the Oak Tree Breeders' Cup Mile earlier in the day with Aragorn, Nakatani is sitting pretty with two solid Breeders' Cup mounts. And he's looking forward to the match-up against Bernardini. ``It's going to be fun leading up to the Breeders' Cup. We're ready for him.'' So ready that O'Neill is already making Breeders' Cup plans for the gelding who disappointed last year when foot problems led to a dismal seventh-place showing in the Jockey Club Gold Cup and an 11th-place finish in the Japan Cup Dirt The Japan Cup Dirt (JPN G-1) is a race usually run a day before the Japan Cup. Race Information
O'Neill said he will ship Lava Man to Kentucky at least three weeks ahead from the Breeders' Cup, and he hasn't decided if they will head to Keeneland and its new Polytrack surface first or go straight to Churchill Downs. He said Lava Man has been working well on Hollywood Park's new cushion track and that a trip to Keeneland might prove beneficial. Lava Man returned $3.20 as the 3-5 favorite. After 4-1 second-choice Brother Derek, Giacomo was another length back. Preachinatthebar, Super Frolic Frolic - A Prolog system in Common Lisp. ftp://ftp.cs.utah.edu/pub/frolic.tar.Z. , Magnum and Romeo Plus completed the order of finish. art.wilson@sgvn.com (626) 962-8811, Ext. 2103 CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Lava Man, with Corey Nakatani, overtakes his opponents Saturday to win the $500,000 Grade II Goodwood Breeders' Cup Handicap at Santa Anita. Raul Roa/Staff Photographer |
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