Being a son of Unusual Heat, the natural inclination was to believe this chestnut California-bred would like the turf.

The reality, however, was that he thrived on the grass.

He never tried any other surface in the eleven times he showed up on a program. What's more, he never really experienced anything outside a top two finish. Ultra-consistent, he did his running from the back. And whether he won or lost, his strong strides could always be seen as he made his run in the stretch.

With his name associated with a local sports team, it was perfectly natural to root for him. But with his love of the turf and toughness in the lane, Lakerville did not need to rely on his moniker for cheers. He could easily summon those just with his on-track performances.

From the time he debuted in the fall of 2011 at Santa Anita to the winter of 2014 at the same venue, Lakerville knew nothing but first or second. Fans knew what to expect once the race began. No matter who was riding him, whether it was Garrett Gomez, Corey Nakatani, Danny Vergara or another jockey, Lakerville would spot the leader several lengths. But fans knew what was coming in the stretch, too.

With moments left in a race, Lakerville found that other gear. Horses were passed in a matter of seconds, and the stout chestnut left nothing on the turf as he went to wire. His debut at Santa Anita's 2011 autumn meet is a perfect example. Trying the hillside turf course for the first time, the Barry Abrams trainee found himself well off the pace early. But even with that deficit, Lakerville found his kick while navigating a wide trip in the stretch. And that kick sent him to the winner's circle in a stellar first effort.

And that race foreshadowed Lakerville's affection for the hillside turf. Some horses never take to that unique course, and others simply love it. Lakerville loved it, and he was never worse than second when racing over it.

But Lakerville found other turf courses to his liking as well. He either won or placed in races at Del Mar, Hollywood Park and Santa Anita during his career. He also made the natural progression from maiden to allowance to stakes company, winning in all three categories. His biggest results came when he took second in the 2012 Green Flash Handicap, won the 2014 Clocker's Corner Handicap (on the hillside turf, fittingly), then notched another second in the Sensational Star Handicap next time out.

Although there were lengthy gaps during those years, with Lakerville out for months at one point and absent for over a year afterwards, he never lost that amazing form during that nearly two and a half-year period. It was simply an amazing run of consistency.

Lakerville only experienced two off the board finishes during his time racing, and both starts came at a mile or greater. Lakerville still had that awesome kick in the stretch, and was not far from the leaders in what turned out to be his career finale in the Grade III Last Tycoon in 2014, but he was just better at sprinting. He did get one more placing in between those starts when he finished third in the Grade III San Simeon on the hillside.

A love of turf just flowed through Lakerville as he ran all over Southern California. That affinity for the green has since been transferred to his progeny. Still in the early years of his stud career, Lakerville has fathered minor stakes winner Lakerball, along with fellow turf winners Big Coupe and Luvluv. All of them have won in Southern California, just like their dad.

But Lakerville has also sired a synthetic and dirt track winner in Angelo's Pride, who has won at Golden Gate Fields and at Turf Paradise in Arizona. There have been off the pace winners, but there have also been horses winning after being much closer to the leader. But what is very interesting is that each of these horses have won routing, which is something that always eluded Lakerball. It is still early in the stallion's career, however, and more winners are coming.

No matter how he fares in the breeding shed overall, Lakerville should be recognized as an exciting horse when he raced. His rallies were fun and filled with a never-give-up mentality, and that gave him a sparkling race record.

But because of his prowess for running and the high level of effort he always gave when in action, Lakerville deserves to be known as a memorable turf horse during the first half of the 2010s.