Lava Man returns to dirt for Gold Cup

Unbeaten in four starts this year, three-time Grade 1 hero LAVA MAN (Slew

City Slew) will seek his second consecutive triumph in Saturday's $750,000 Hollywood

Gold Cup (G1). The Doug O'Neill-trained gelding romped by 8 3/4 lengths in last

year's edition and will face only four rivals on Saturday. The $2.4 million

earner will spot six-to-11 pounds to each of his challengers as the 124-pound highweight, and Lava Man will break from the rail with regular rider Corey

Nakatani.

After opening this year with convincing wins in the Santa Anita H. (G1) and

Sunshine Millions Classic, Lava Man moved to the turf for his next two starts.

He'll enter the 1 1/4-mile Gold Cup off a scintillating two-length score in the

Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1), and the five-year-old loves running at

Hollywood Park regardless of surface, winning his last five starts at the

Inglewood, California, venue.

MAGNUM (Arg) (El Compinche) is the main threat to the favorite. The Darrell

Vienna runner finally broke through with his first U.S. stakes win last time,

easily taking the Lone Star Park H. (G3), and showed class earlier this year

when finishing second in both the Santa Anita H. and Oaklawn H. (G2). He gets

six pounds from Lava Man and will break from post 2 with Patrick Valenzuela.

SEEK GOLD (Touch Gold), an upset winner of the Stephen Foster H. (G1) last

time out, drew post 3 and will carry 117 pounds, including Calvin Borel. Next in

the post parade comes ACE BLUE (Brz) (Coax Me Clyde), Victor Espinoza, 113; and

SUPER FROLIC (Pine Bluff), Jon Court, 116.

Saturday's undercard features the $350,000 Swaps Breeders' Cup S. (G2) for

three-year-olds, and the 1 1/8-mile contest will bring back the top three

finishers from the June 17 Affirmed H. (G3). POINT DETERMINED (Point Given)

prevailed by a nose over A.P. WARRIOR (A.P. Indy) following a thrilling stretch

drive that afternoon, and the lightly raced ARSON SQUAD (Brahms) finished a

solid third and is eligible to improve in the Swaps with the additional

seasoning. Recent maiden winner POTENTIAL (General Royal) rounds out the

four-horse Swaps field.