Lava Man's racing career has ended.

Wednesday, co-owner Steve Kenly said that concern over Lava Man's ankles has led to the decision to retire the seven-time Grade 1 winner, who earned $5,268,706 in a 46-race career that included 17 wins.

Earlier this week, Lava Man, 7, was sent to the Alamo Pintado Equine Clinic in Santa Ynez, Calif., for a physical examination. During that exam, clinic veterinarians determined that he has problems with his ankles, confirming what racetrack veterinarians had initially diagnosed, Kenly said.

Lava Man finished last of six in the Grade 1 Eddie Read Handicap at Del Mar on July 20 in his last start. After that race, co-owners Jason Wood and Kenly's father and sister, Dave and Tracy, debated whether to retire Lava Man with trainer Doug O'Neill. They decided to wait and see how the horse emerged from the race before making any decision.

"The chances of him coming back were slim," Steve Kenly said. "It's closure.

"I'm happy that he didn't get hurt, just aches and pains of old age. I think we did the right thing of looking at all the options and making sure this was the right thing to do."

Lava Man became a fixture in the California handicap division in recent years. Claimed for $50,000 on Aug. 13, 2004, Lava Man ended his career with a six-race losing streak, but he was nearly unbeatable at times.

The final victory of his career was a record-equaling third consecutive win in the Hollywood Gold Cup in June 2007. He joined Native Diver (1965-67) as the only three-time winner of the Gold Cup. Lava Man's other Grade 1 wins came in consecutive runnings of the Santa Anita Handicap in 2006-07, the 2006 Pacific Classic, and the 2006 Whittingham Handicap.

A California-bred, Lava Man earned a staggering $5,170,103 after being claimed.

[ 本帖最後由 asiadragon 於 31/7/2008 10:19 AM 編輯 ]

During that exam, clinic veterinarians determined that he has problems with his ankles, confirming what racetrack veterinarians had initially diagnosed, Kenly said.:sss:

Lava Man 在 2005,2006 橫掃美國多項 G1 賽事

去到2007的 8月..隻馬無以為繼

Lava man 可以話係 Hollywood Park 的好手

望退役後有好的生活啦:gggg:

出國2次都唔知跑左去邊:jjjj: .
呢隻雖然泥草雙槍,但都唔算得係咩野名駒既,好馬就都可以接受:zzz:

只係指在美國草地.....:fff::fff:..泥地都OK...

在美國草地可算係名馬 lo..:yyy:

美國草地我覺得鍚人勁過佢:fff:

美國草地馬求其一隻G1冠軍(唔計外隊)都勁過佢:fff:

難怪鴨都拿年年都將佢o的歐洲二線草地馬，送晒過去美國。:fff:

因為美國本身草地水準:rrr::rrr:

English Channel 好過佢好多:yyy::yyy:

但循例要話佢係....話晒 INT 去過 122分...:yyy:(雖然無指導性):ooo:

我欣賞鍚人除左佢年紀之外仲有睇下佢跑杜拜免稅店同熔焰客+英倫海峽+默許既分別:fff:

後面果3隻見下 Europe 同 US 草地的水準差異:yyy::yyy:

鍚人真係唔到你唔服:tttt:.跑極都仲有

起碼呢隻當時有P啊:fff:

同埋佢跑o個陣都幾好Heart:fff:

傷年幾出番黎跑咁多場無w有p:fff:

冇記錯當年o係Duty Free跑P後，返到美國跑雅靈頓爆大冷贏馬。