LAVA MAN TAKES ON ALL CHALLENGES FACES STIFF COMPETITION AT DEL MAR.Byline: Kevin Modesti Staff Writer 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 will have to fight off challenges from all angles in the $1 million Pacific Classic at Del Mar to remain best in the West among thoroughbred racehorses. The 4-year-old California-bred gelding gelding castrated male horse. has moved up the ladder to win at the optional-claiming level, in the Californian Stakes and in the Hollywood Gold Cup The Hollywood Gold Cup is a Grade I stakes race for thoroughbred horses inaugurated in 1938 at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California. It was run as a handicap race until 1997 when it was switched to weight-for-age conditions. since the addition of blinkers blinkers 1. rigid pieces of leather fitted to a head harness at a point where they will obstruct the horse's lateral vision. 2. a more sophisticated piece of harness worn by expensive horses consisting of a canvas head-covering with holes for the ears to protrude and two seemed to sharpen his competitive edge. Winning the 11-horse Pacific Classic might be harder still for the star of Doug O'Neill's barn. The 9-5 morning-line favorite must overcome the event's history - 12 of 14 tote-board favorites have been beaten, most famously Cigar at 1-20 odds in 1996. Then he must transfer his sharp recent form from Hollywood Park to the quirky beachfront beach·front n. A strip of land facing or running along a beach. adj. Situated along or having direct access to a beach: beachfront hotels; beachfront property. Noun 1. oval at Del Mar. Only then can Lava Man (Pat Valenzuela riding) worry about outrunning the other contenders, who comprise fully half of his opponents in a 1 1/4-mile race for 3-year-olds and up that provides the highlight of the Del Mar season. For only the second time, the Pacific Classic matches the champions of its three major feeder races, the Hollywood Gold Cup, Hollywood Park's Swaps Stakes and Del Mar's San Diego Handicap The San Diego Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually at Del Mar Racetrack in Del Mar, California. The race is open to horses, age three and up, willing to race one and one-sixteenth miles on the dirt. The race carries a purse of 300,000. . It features a 3-year-old who might be on his way to great things: Swaps Stakes winner Surf Cat (Alex Solis), trying to join 3-year-old Pacific Classic winners Best Pal (1991), General Challenge (1999) and Came Home (2002). It features a sometimes-thrilling stretch runner, San Diego winner Choctaw Nation (Victor Espinoza), apparently healthier than when he ran fourth in the 2004 Pacific Classic behind Pleasantly Perfect. It features a girl-vs.-boys bid by the mare Island Fashion (Corey Nakatani), who will try to reach back to the quality of her second-place finish, behind Southern Image, in the 2004 Santa Anita Handicap The Santa Anita Handicap is an American Thoroughbred horse race held annually in the late winter at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, California. It is a Grade I race for horses three years old and up, and is considered the most important race for older horses in North America during . And it features a more-than-solid horse from out of state, the 6-year-old gelding Perfect Drift (Mark Guidry), the 2004 Pacific Classic runner-up and the owner of three victories at 1 1/4 miles. Notably absent: Rock Hard Ten, the Santa Anita Handicap winner recovering from injury, and any top East Coast older horse. Only two favorites have won the Pacific Classic, Gentlemen (1997) and Pleasantly Perfect. That doesn't mean the race has been rife with wild form reversals. The past eight winners finished first or second in their race preceding the Pacific Classic and won one of their two starts leading to the Classic. Unfortunately for anyone hoping to ride that angle to a winning bet, it points to four obvious contenders: Lava Man, Surf Cat, Choctaw Nation and Perfect Drift. Healthy priced possibilities abound, with eight horses listed from 10-1 to 30-1 on the morning line. They include 30-1 Ace Blue (David Flores Flores, town, Guatemala Flores (flōrəs), town (1990 est. pop. 2,200), capital of Petén department, N Guatemala. Flores was built on an island in the southern part of Lake Petén Itzá and on the site of the ), a 5-year-old with room to improve; 12-1 Borrego (Garrett Gomez), closest to Lava Man in the latter's Gold Cup-record 8 3/4-length victory; and 10-1 Congrats con·grats Informal interj. Congratulations. pl.n. Congratulations: sent him my congrats. (Tyler Baze), second in the Santa Anita Handicap and third in the Gold Cup. Kevin Modesti, (818) 713-3616 heymodesti(at)aol.com CAPTION(S): 2 boxes Box: (1) PACIFIC CLASSIC (2) KEVIN MODESTI'S PACIFIC CLASSIC PICKS |
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