Lava Man (foaled on March 20, 2001 in California) is an American Thoroughbred racehorse who was once claimed for $50,000 but wound up being inducted into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame in 2015.

Kim and Eve Kuhlman acquired a half interest in L'il Ms. Leonard and kept her at their farm in Kentucky before shipping her back to California.

In the words of Daily Racing Form columnist Dick Jerardi, "Lava Man did not start his career on the other side of the tracks.

He then lost his next four races, shipping between Santa Anita, Bay Meadows and Hollywood Park, before earning his third win after Arterburn removed his blinkers.

O'Neill initially kept the horse on turf, but then moved him back to dirt where he finished second in three straight races, including a promising performance behind Rock Hard Ten in the Grade 1 Malibu Stakes.

[6] Arterburn would later call Lava Man "the best and worst thing that ever happened to me" after the horse started winning major races for O'Neill.

[9] However, because California-breds winning open races in the state generate breeders' rewards worth approximately 15 percent of the purse, Arterburn continued to receive a share of some of Lava Man's earnings as his co-breeder.

In his next race, the $750,000 Grade 1 Hollywood Gold Cup in July, Lava Man won by a stakes-record margin of over 8 lengths and earned his career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 120 while carrying the highweight.

"[13] Lava Man was sent east for the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in New York, where he finished over 45 lengths behind in seventh place, hampered by a sore left front hoof.

[3] Lava Man's first race of 2006 was the $1,000,000 Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita Park in California on January 28, restricted to California- and Florida-bred horses.

"[14] In his next race, the $1,000,000 Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, Lava Man faced favorite High Limit, 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo, and 2004 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Champion Wilko.

[16] Keeping him on the turf, O'Neill followed up by entering the horse in the Grade 1 Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap at Hollywood Park Racetrack.

This victory made him the first horse since Eclipse Award winner Vanlandingham in 1985 to win a Grade 1 Turf and Dirt race in the same year.

Nevertheless, he took the lead in mid-stretch and won by a short nose over longshot Ace Blue, who was carrying 10 pounds fewer than Lava Man.

[18] Lava Man became the first horse since Triple Crown Winner Affirmed in 1979 to win the Santa Anita Handicap and Hollywood Gold Cup in the same year.

"[8] On August 26, Lava Man won the Grade 1 Pacific Classic Stakes over a strong field of equal-weighted thoroughbreds including Giacomo, Perfect Drift, Good Reward, Super Frolic, and Magnum.

[23] He was touted by many racing observers as a possible 2006 Horse of the Year candidate if he could beat favored Bernardini outside California in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs in Kentucky on November 4.

[24] Despite his Breeders' Cup Classic loss, Lava Man's likeness was inserted into a snowglobe given to paid admissions at Hollywood Park Racetrack in December 2006.

[27] On March 3, Lava Man earned back-to-back victories in the Santa Anita Handicap, a feat previously only accomplished by John Henry and Milwaukee Brew.

In this race, he carried the topweight of 124 pounds and beat Molengao, Boboman, and 2007 Sunshine Millions Classic winner McCann's Mojave in front of 43,024 fans.

"[29] On June 11, Lava Man returned to the California race circuit with a second-place finish in the Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, won by After Market in the excellent time of 1:58.77, just 1⁄5 off the course record.

Lava Man's third consecutive Gold Cup matched Native Diver's three-peat of 1965–1967 and set a new course record for 11⁄4 miles on the new Hollywood Park "Cushion Track" synthetic dirt surface.

[3] On August 19, Lava Man was sent-off as the 6-5 favorite in the Pacific Classic Stakes but did not take well to Del Mar's new Polytrack racing surface and finished a well-beaten sixth.

[3] Lava Man was also featured in an hour-plus DVD Biography offered at Hollywood Park Racetrack in December 2007 as a fundraiser for Garcia.

[38] Lava Man went on to run competitively in the $300,000 Charles Whittingham Handicap at Hollywood Park on June 7, 2008, placing third, a neck behind the winner.

[3] O'Neill deemed the three-week timetable between the Whittingham and the Hollywood Gold Cup to be too short of a rest for Lava Man to make an attempt to win the race for the fourth consecutive time.

[39] However, Lava Man was restless away from the racetrack so was sent back to Alamo Pintado in hopes that his physical problems could be repaired sufficiently to allow him to be used as a riding horse.

On May 5, 2012, Lava Man served as lead pony for three-year-old colt I'll Have Another in the post parade for both the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes, races which I'll Have Another subsequently won.

On October 19, O'Neill announced that Lava Man would make his final appearance as a stable pony when leading Hot Rod Charlie to the post at the 2022 Breeders' Cup Classic.

[6][5] Lava Man made an appearance at the Thoroughbred Classic Horse Show held at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in order to demonstrate the versatility of retired racehorses.