Lava Man may become grass horse
Trainer Doug O'Neill is pointing Lava Man toward the Sunshine Millions Turf on Jan. 27 for his return to the races, and then the 6-year-old gelding may be kept on the grass.
“The fact that he does have sensitive feet could be why he runs as well on turf as he does on dirt,� O’Neill said. “The give on the grass is probably very comforting to him. It’s amazing that he’s that versatile.�
If Lava Man runs well in the Sunshine Millions Turf, O'Neill would like to go next to one of the big $5 million turf races at Dubai in late March. Is that a wise move considering the horse has been much better in California than he has out of state? He won seven races in California last year before finishing seventh in the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 4. I've agreed with 99 percent of the decisions the Lava Man camp has made with this horse, but if I owned him, we'd be staying in California.
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