Lava Man's Claim to Fame

Limited Edition Signed & Numbered Canvas Prints

Lava Man had one of the great rags-to-riches stories in horse racing. He started his career in the claiming ranks before developing into a multiple Grade 1 stakes winner and eventually earning more than $5 million on the racetrack. That's where the title of this painting, Lava Man's Claim to Fame, comes from—a little play on his unlikely beginnings as a claiming horse.

This painting shows Lava Man in the winner's circle after capturing his third consecutive Hollywood Gold Cup. With that victory, he joined the great Native Diver as only the second horse to win the prestigious race three times. For a horse who started out in the claiming ranks, that's quite a climb.

I deliberately left the jockey out of this painting. I wanted the viewer's attention entirely on Lava Man, standing there in his floral winner's blanket after another major victory. It also gave me a stronger, simpler composition and allowed the horse—and what he had just accomplished—to tell the story.

Lava Man became a fan favorite because he wasn't a blue-blooded superstar who was expected to be great from the beginning. He earned his way to the top, and that's what makes his story—and this painting—special to me.

2 sizes available       14 x 11"        77 prints

                                20 x 16"        44 prints

Each print comes with a certificate of authenticity.