Lava Man tunes up for Pacific Classic
Multiple Grade 1 hero LAVA MAN (Slew City Slew) worked six furlongs in 1:14 on Del Mar's fast track on Sunday, pleasing trainer Doug O'Neill in his final serious drill in advance of the August 20 Pacific Classic (G1). With regular exercise rider Antonio Romero in the saddle, the dark bay gelding worked in company with unraced two-year-old filly Lainey Lu (Unusual Heat) and clocked splits of :25 1/5, :49 1/5 and 1:01 3/5. Lava Man galloped out seven furlongs in 1:27 3/5. "Exactly what we wanted," O'Neill said. "Tony (Romero) has an amazing clock in his head. This is the type of horse that, if you're not careful, could have left his race out on the track by going 1:11 or something like that. Tony's just amazing like that. "We're pumped up going into next weekend," O'Neill enthused, adding that Lava Man would walk a day, jog a day and gallop into the race. Lava Man has yet to lose in 2006, posting five straight stakes wins on both dirt and turf. After comfortably scoring in the Sunshine Millions Classic and Santa Anita H. (G1), he switched to the grass and looked even more impressive, running away with the Khaled S. in course-record time at Hollywood Park and dismissing a classier group of turf horses in the Charles Whittingham Memorial H. (G1). Returning to the main track last time out, he overcame a poor start and put on a gutsy display to garner his second Hollywood Gold Cup S. (G1) in a photo-finish.
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Also prepping for the Pacific Classic, SUPER FROLIC (Pine Bluff), who
finished third to Lava Man in the Hollywood Gold Cup, polished off his six
panels at Del Mar in a snappy 1:12 2/5, third best of 23 moves at the distance.
Regular pilot Jon Court partnered the Vladimir Cerin charge, who was joined by
Grade 2-winning stablemate Publication (Petionville) and motored through
fractions of :35 4/5 and :48 1/5. Super Frolic galloped out seven furlongs in
1:25 1/5, while Publication's five-furlong move was timed in 1:00.
"He worked well and galloped out strong," Cerin said. "Everything worked out
well."
Successful in the Hawthorne Gold Cup H. (G2) last September, the Super Frolic has taken time to round into form this season, but his runner-up effort
in the Californian S. (G2) and his Hollywood Gold Cup third both signal that he
could be returning to his best.
The third Pacific Classic hopeful on Sunday's Del Mar worktab was PAPI CHULLO
(Comeonmom), who took a half-mile spin in :49 4/5. The Greg Norman colorbearer
was most recently third in the San Diego H. (G2), only to be disqualified and
placed seventh for interference.
Notables slated to turn in their last Pacific Classic moves on Monday are
last year's Kentucky Derby (G1) upsetter GIACOMO (Holy Bull), coming off a
rousing win in the San Diego, and multiple Grade 1 winner GOOD REWARD (Storm
Cat), who will exercise at Saratoga.
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