US Racing / Nick Shiambouros / 12 October 2007 /

Sad performance from a great horse leaves US racing specialist Nick Shiambouros to question whether time is up for 11-time winner

Some people will tell you that change is a good thing and that somehow we will all be better off living in a time capsule. Somehow I don't think that the connections of Lava Man would agree after seeing him trail in last in The Oak Tree Mile at Santa Anita run on the turf.

You see, Lava Man is at his best on a conventional dirt track in California where he can stalk off rapid fractions and explode in the lane - a feat he has repeated time and again throughout his career to earn over $5m.

A new mandate in California means all tracks will have to use a synthetic racing surface by the end of the year. The California Horse Racing Board obviously did not think of Lava Man when they made this drastic decision.

So the question is what connections of this great horse do now? Well, the next step is The California Cup Classic in November for a prize worth $250k. I wish him well but I feel connections will have to start thinking about retirement soon if he can't win this event for California-bred horses.

In a weekend studded with upsets, the highly-regarded Majestic Warrior was soundly beaten in The Champagne Stakes at Belmont Park by the unbeaten War Pass who made all the running to win this prestigious event. On course, I began to tear up my Pari-Mutuel ticket with well over two furlongs to go as Majestic Warrior began to labour. Both Warrior and Ready's Image clearly underachieved but the winner deserves to go into the Breeders Cup Juvenile as favourite.

Over At Keenland, all five favourites were beaten in the Stakes races on offer on the Polytrack and Wicked Style was a rare front-running winner in The Lane's End Futurity. The victory was clearly down to the very soft fractions set by the winner. He also lines up next in The Breeders Cup Juvenile on the final weekend of races that assure winners a berth for the championships later that month.

Another horse that gets in to the Cup is Purim who literally got up right on the line to deny Cosmonaught in a thrilling finish to The Shadwell Turf Mile to give jockey Jamie Theriot a first Grade 1 victory. The Breeders Cup Mile is next for this son of Dynaformer.

Back at Santa Anita on Sunday, Idiot Proof was victorious in The Ancient Title Stakes beating a desperately unlucky Greg's Gold who was trapped for room. If you backed the winner you can thank David Flores for teaching Victor Espinoza a lesson in race riding by keeping him in tight with nowhere to go. They will both meet in The Breeders Cup Sprint where I am sure the positions will be reversed.

The Oak Tree Derby over nine furlongs on turf is the feature at the same track this coming Saturday (October 13). This one looks wide open and any one of about seven have a chance. That being the case I am going to split my stakes and back Stoneside and Asprity at around 4.5 and 5 who have both met before in France. The latter is trained by John Gosden and is relatively lightly-raced but both should give a good account of themselves in this Grade 2 event.

I started this week's column by talking of one great gelding in Lava Man but I am going to end by talking about possibly the greatest of them all. That horse is of course the great John Henry who was euthanized on Monday night at the Kentucky Horse Park at the age of 32.

I could go on and on about his achievements but all I will say is that there were none braver or more determined than John Henry. My only regret is that I never got the chance to see him in the flesh. The flowers and cards are still pouring in to the park from all over the country. His spirit and determination are a true inspiration to everybody who loves this great sport. He will be sadly missed.

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