Lava Man returns to O'Neill barn after bout with colic

Lava Man, the Hall of Fame gelding turned stable pony who fought through a bout with colic in the summer, returned to trainer Doug O’Neill’s stable at Santa Anita earlier this week after a recent rest at a local farm.

O’Neill said on Wednesday that Lava Man will be eased into backstretch life in coming days to allow him to acclimate to surroundings. And, Lava Man needs a haircut.

“He looks fantastic,” O’Neill said. “He was a big, hairy dude. He’s regained his weight and he put on 25 pounds of belly. After a little clipping, he’ll look like the rock star that he is.”

Lava Man was stricken with colic during the Del Mar summer meeting and underwent a procedure to correct a colon displacement on July 31. He remained at the clinic through early August.

“He battled it for a week or 10 days,” O’Neill said.

A 17-year-old, Lava Man won 17 of 47 starts and earned $5,268,706 from 2003-09, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2015. Lava Man won 13 stakes, seven of which were Grade 1 races, all for owners Steve, Tracy, and Dave Kenly and Jason Wood.

Lava Man won three consecutive runnings of the Hollywood Gold Cup from 2005-07. Lava Man also won the Santa Anita Handicap in 2006 and 2007 and the 2006 Pacific Classic.

O’Neill said he and his team are in no rush to put Lava Man back on the track.

“We’ll let him tell us,” O’Neill said. “We’ll walk him a few times a day. He’s been such a huge asset to chaperone the young horses.”