Lava Man Retired

[cabvmd]

Lava Man retired after comeback
By Steve Andersen

http://www.drf.com/news/article/109915.html

ARCADIA, Calif. - Lava Man, who rose from a $50,000 claimer to the winner of seven Grade 1 stakes, has been retired after a comeback attempt last month ended with a last-place finish in the Grade 2 San Gabriel Handicap at Santa Anita, co-owner Steve Kenly said on Tuesday.

Kenly, who owns Lava Man with his father and sister, Dave and Tracy, and Jason Wood, made the decision earlier this week after consulting with trainer Doug O'Neill and veterinarian Doug Herthel.




HOPEFULLY NOW HE WILL GET THE LIFE HE DESERVES AT OLD FRIENDS

[freddymo]

Originally Posted by Kasept

http://www.drf.com/news/article/109915.html

Don't see why they don't try one more time. He can always go a paddock maybe he needed one?

[Echo Farm]

http://www.drf.com/news/article/109915.html

"His second career, whatever it will be and we haven't decided, is unlimited. He could be a hunter-jumper, a pony, or retired in a field, and he'll get along better in those scenarios. He'll be a much sounder horse than two years ago. The chronic arthritis would have gotten worse and worse."

Personally, I think, if retired in a field, he should stay on the West coast. I think OF has enough names to draw the fans. Tranquility Farm, United Pegasus or another place like that.

Just my opinion, but I'm from the East coast (and he's not my horse).

[Patrick333]

I appreciate the fact that they didn't want to run him if they felt he couldn't compete at a high level. Hopefully he'll have a long retirement.

[randallscott35]

Go Drug O'Neill!

[Riot]

That's too bad, I would have liked to have seen him run once more. But I appreciate they only want to run him if he can remain at his best level. Sounds like he retired now in sounder physical than he was before, so that's a good thing.

[Danzig]

seldom said by me, but good!!

[pba1817]

Drop back in a $50k claimer... right where this all started.

[cakes44]

If he had dirt to run on, I'm guessing he would likely still be running.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by cabvmd

HOPEFULLY NOW HE WILL GET THE LIFE HE DESERVES AT OLD FRIENDS

[johnny pinwheel]

i don't see why people complained. he ran pretty good until the end. they had to try. tommy john surgery has saved the career of many pitchers in baseball. maybe this will be a break through treatment for horses. he tried, it did not work to perfection. why all the complaining? people have beeen programmed that these horses are "old" after they are 4 years old. some horses love to race and its usually the good ones, thats why they are good. crying about risk is a joke when every horse is taking a chance with each start. horses probably get bored and depressed just like some folks do when they retire. they probably saw something in his behavior that told them he wanted to race. they tried ,its more than most would do. i guess if you are different you should be put down. what a free country we live in.

[randallscott35]

Originally Posted by johnny pinwheel

i don't see why people complained. he ran pretty good until the end. they had to try. tommy john surgery has saved the career of many pitchers in baseball. maybe this will be a break through treatment for horses. he tried, it did not work to perfection. why all the complaining? people have beeen programmed that these horses are "old" after they are 4 years old. some horses love to race and its usually the good ones, thats why they are good. crying about risk is a joke when every horse is taking a chance with each start. horses probably get bored and depressed just like some folks do when they retire. they probably saw something in his behavior that told them he wanted to race. they tried ,its more than most would do. i guess if you are different you should be put down. what a free country we live in.

I don't know maybe its b/c the horse made 5 mill and is 9 years old, and was so lame he couldn't get off the horse van at Old Friends and had ankles the size of basketballs and Drug O'Neill makes me sick and.....

[randallscott35]

My bad on Old Friends, he was expected to be sent there. Either way, he was sent to the farm after his retirement in terrible shape.

"The plan was to retire him to Old Friends in Kentucky to live out the remainder of his life. But his ankles were shot. They were "bone-on-bone," as Tom Hudson put it. So Hudson, who operates Rich and Gaby Sulpizio's Magali Farms in Santa Ynez, California, was given the job of nursing Lava Man back to health so that he could be sent to Old Friends in the best possible health.

"He had so many issues at that time," said Hudson, who received Lava Man on Aug. 4, 2008. "His ankles were so bad we had to just let him down; they were like softballs. He couldn't even go to the pasture. He was too sore. He was lame.

[Indian Charlie]

I'm sure the decision had nothing to do with money.

After all, if Lava Man was still a maiden 12k claimer, no doubt the stem cell treatment would have occurred anyways and he'd still be running.