by Ron Parker

Multiple Grade 1 winner Lava Man looks like a winner to trainer Doug O’Neill’s barn entering the $400,000 Eddie Read Handicap (G1) on Sunday at Del Mar.

“He could not be training any better,” said Dennis O’Neill, Doug’s brother and assistant. “His coat looks just fantastic. His weight is good. His feet are good. He should really be sitting on a big race. I think we finally got him where he needs to be.”

Dennis O’Neill said there will “probably be a few tears” if Lava Man snaps a five-race winless stretch by capturing the Eddie Read, a 1 1/8-mile turf race.

A career earner of $5,268,706, Lava Man finished third, a neck behind Artiste Royal (Ire), in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap (G1) in his previous start on June 7 at Hollywood Park.

Doug O’Neill passed on a chance to run Lava Man in the $750,000 Hollywood Gold Cup (G1) on June 28, a race that the Slew City Slew gelding won the previous three years. He instead chose to wait for the Eddie Read.

“It was a very difficult decision, not running him in the Gold Cup,” Dennis O’Neill said. “I know Doug felt like he wasn’t quite a hundred percent.

“That extra time has really helped him out a ton. I think that was a great decision coming into this race. He’s doing as good as he’s ever been doing.”

STD Racing Stable’s and Jason Wood’s Lava Man drew the inside starting spot in a field of seven three-year-olds and older. Jockey Tyler Baze, who rode the gelding in the Whittingham, has a return call in the Eddie Read.

“It looks like speed is doing OK so far down here on the turf,” Dennis O’Neill said. “I kind of like the rail. It kind of makes up your mind what you’re going to do. You kind of jump them out of there and get them somewhere near the lead and maybe an easy lead if nobody goes.

“I think the race sets up really, really well for him. I think we’re in pretty good shape.”

Lava Man is winless since capturing the Gold Cup for third time last year. The gelding made both of his starts this season on turf, and finished third in the TVG Khaled Stakes on April 27 at Hollywood prior to running in the Whittingham.

Dennis O’Neill said he and his brother are “keeping our fingers crossed—that’s for sure” while preparing to face an Eddie Read field that also includes R. D. Hubbard’s Spring House, the winner of the San Luis Obispo Handicap (G2) on February 23 at Santa Anita Park.

The Chester House gelding has not started since posting an unplaced finish in the Nakheel Dubai Sheema Classic (UAE-G1) on March 29 at Nad al Sheba Racecourse.

Tommy Town Thoroughbreds’s Whatsthescript (Ire) enters off a 1 1/4-length win against Eddie Read foe Storm Military (Arg) in the American Handicap (G2) at Hollywood. Trained by John Sadler, Whatsthescript earned his first graded stakes win in the 2006 Generous Stakes (G3) at Hollywood.

Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer

The field, in post-position order, with (sire), jockey, weight, and trainer:

1. Lava Man (Slew City Slew), Tyler Baze, 120, Doug O'Neill;

2. Whatsthescript [IRE] (Royal Applause [GB]), Isaias Enriquez, 116, John Sadler;

3. Ferneley [IRE] (Ishiguru), Victor Espinoza, 114, Frank Ennis;

4. Monzante (Maria's Mon), Rafael Bejarano, 114, Mike Mitchell;

5. Global Hunter [ARG] (Jade Hunter), Mike Smith, 113, A. C. Avila;

6. Storm Military [ARG] (Bernstein), David Flores, 115, Bobby Frankel; and

7. Spring House (Chester House), Garrett Gomez, 117, Julio Canani.