ARCADIA, Calif. (Jan. 28, 2006) --- Lava Man, whose record 8 ¼-length victory in last summer’s 66th Hollywood Gold Cup had been dulled by ill-fated excursions to New York and Japan, regained a good measure of his glitter at Santa Anita on Saturday when victorious in the $1 million Sunshine Millions™ Classic before a crowd of over 32,000.
Sitting comfortably behind a torrid early pace battle, the 5-year-old California-bred gelding took the lead in upper stretch under jockey Corey Nakatani and finished 2 ¼ lengths clear of runner-up Whos Crying Now in the mile-and-one-eighth centerpiece of the Sunshine Millions™ festival for California and Florida-breds.
In winning his first race since the July 9 Hollywood Gold Cup, Lava Man ran the distance in 1:49.98 after biding his time behind sizzling fractions of 21.88, 44.84 and 1:08.69 set by dueling leaders Proud Tower Too and Trickey Trevor.
The second choice among 12 runners, the mutuels on Lava Man were $7.80, $5.40 and $4.40. Florida-bred Whose Crying Now, who finished 1 ½ lengths ahead of Cal-bred Texcess, paid $9.60, and $6.60. Texcess, purchased earlier in the week for $300,000, paid $7.60 to show.
Buzzards Bay, last year’s Santa Anita Derby winner who was sent off as the 2-1 favorite, was never a factor while finishing fourth. “We just got outrun,” commented trainer Ron Ellis. “He was in perfect position. We had no excuses.”
Doug O’Neill, who trains Lava Man, said he wasn’t sure of just what to expect from the gelding he had claimed two summers ago for $50,000 on behalf of owners Jason Wood and the STD Racing Stable of Steve and David Kenly.
“I was one of the doubters,” O’Neill said. “You never know. Sure, he was training great, but after they run a couple of clunkers. . .well, this game is full of excuses when you don’t run good and I was just worried that maybe I was making up too many whoppers.”
When beaten by 45 ½ lengths in Belmont Park’s Jockey Club Gold Cup, Lava Man bled in the race after washing out in the paddock. He injured his left front foot when beaten by 17 ¼ lengths in Tokyo’s Japan Dirt Cup. Those two disappointments followed a third place finish in Del Mar’s Pacific Classic following the Hollywood Gold Cup sparkler.
“He finally ran like he had been training,” said O’Neill Saturday. “I’d be lying if I said this race played out the way I thought it would. I thought we’d be closer. Corey just rode him confidently.”
With $550,000 awarded to the winner, the former claimer boosted his lifetime earnings to $1,584,706. His overall record became 8-7-3 in 28 starts.
Lava Man’s win was the sixth posted by Cal-breds in the eight-race bicoastal competition that included four races at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale, Fla. Florida-breds, however, won the battle of points, 37-35, for the fourth successive year.
Moscow Burning, who had twice chased Valentine Dancer in the $500,000 Warren’s Thoroughbreds Filly/Mare Turf, finally gained revenge in the mile-and-one-eighth grass event’s fourth running.
Aided by a perfectly timed ride from David Flores, the 6-year-old mare, claimed for $25,000 two-and-one half years ago, became a millionaire for owner Don Van Kempen, of Vista, near San Diego.
She swooped to the lead while rallying wide around the far turn to defeat Beneficial Bartok by 1 ½ lengths with Charmsil a head back in third. The final time was 1:48.39.
Valentine Dancer, bidding to extend her unprecedented streak in a Sunshine Millions event to three, raced close to the early pace before fading to eighth in the field of 11.
“There are two things he wants in life,” trainer James Cassidy had said before the race when speaking of Van Kempen. “He wants to win the Sunshine Millions and to whip Valentine Dancer.”
“I think this is as good a race as she could have ever run,” Cassidy said after the race, “with as much as she had to do while going wide and giving away all that space. This is fantastic. . .to have a mare like this. If she never ran again, this would be perfect.”
The California-bred daughter of Moscow Ballet was well fancied by the public. As the 7/5 favorite, she paid $4.60, $3.20 and $2.60. Beneficial Bartok returned $4.80 and $3.40 while Charmsil’s show price was $5.20.
The winner earned $275,000, which gained her millionaire status at $1,177,535 from a career record of 10-5-2 in 25 races.
Trainer Bob Baffert’s Da Stoops, named after University of Arizona football coach Mike Stoops, ran off with the $250,000 Pepsi Dash for 3-year-olds that opened Santa Anita’s portion of the Sunshine Millions™
.
Ridden by Victor Espinoza, the California-bred son of Distorted Humor took command early and cruised to a 7 ½-length win over Floridian Changing Weather while running six furlongs in 1:08.94. The lopsided win followed the bay colt’s 8 ¾ -length blitz in The California Breeders’ Championship on Dec. 26.
“He’s the quickest Cal-bred I’ve ever trained,” said Baffert of the youngster owned by Kathy Watson and Paul Weitman, of Tucson, Ariz. “This colt’s got some serious gears.” The winning purse of $137,500 boosted his earnings to $301,470 from a 3-3-1 record in eight starts.
Favored Da Stoops paid $4.60, $3.40 and $2.60. Changing Waters, who finished one-half length ahead of Brite Maneuvers, paid $86.60 and $5.60. The show price on Brite Maneuvers was $4.60. Plagiarist, the 2-1 second choice in a field of eight, ran last while failing to display the promise shown in his swift winning debut at Hollywood Park last month.
Baffert’s 3/5 favorite, Western Hemisphere, couldn’t catch victorious Florida-bred Hot Storm in the $300,000 Argent Mortgage Filly/Mare Sprint as trainer Dallas Stewart’s 4-year-old filly covered six furlongs in 1:09.44 and became only the second horse ever to capture a second Sunshine Millions™
event. Hot Storm won last year’s Oaks at Santa Anita in her only other start at the track.
With Flores in the saddle, Hot Storm gained the lead on the backstretch and was never seriously menaced by the closing bid of Western Hemisphere and Espinoza. The winning margin was 1 ¾ lengths. Thrilling Victory ran third, 2 ½ lengths behind the runner-up.
It was the eighth win in 18 starts and the fourth successive for the Stormy Atlantic filly owned by Robert A. Adams, of Cincinnati. While paying $8, $3 and $2.60, Hot Storm earned $165,000 to send her career figure to $559,505.
Western Hemisphere paid $2.40 and $2.20. Thrilling Victory, who had Martin Pedroza aboard, paid $3 to show in a field reduced to nine by late scratches of Allswellthatnswell, Alphabet Kisses and Leave Me Alone, who have opted to run in Sunday’s Grade I Santa Monica Handicap.
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