Would you make your pick right now without seeing PP's? 5 horses can't win it. So which one would you pick?

Well let's reiterate here, who exactly has anyone beat this year? Flower Alley beating nobodies at Monmouth is evidently a big thing, Invasor was life and death to beat Sun King, who is not a Grade #1 winner, and Bernardini is running in restricted races at least now, so Lava Man needs to step it up to be deemed a worthy HOY candidate????!!!!!!!!! The horse has only won 4 Effing Grade 1's on both surfaces, is undefeated this year, and guess what? Anyone superior to him is more than welcome to come out and challenge him, why the hell should he have to travel, COME GET HIM!!!!

LOL!!! WHy should he have to travel? LOL!! Thats the cowardly response I was looking for. Thanks for making my point.:)

LARhage, honestly, I'd go with Lava Man if forced to choose today. Obviously, things can change in the next two months, but on August 21, that's my choice. Think this year's BCC is solid on top.

Sorry, that was Cajun that made that post. My bad.

He's as big a coward as Mineshaft!!!!!

Its so funny how Lava Man races badly on the East after a hard campaign and it's held up as a barometer of his form forever, Saint Liam can get his ass handed to him in California and all the crybabies deem the track the culprit, talk about having it both ways!!!!!

So bascially Lharge you think that that everyone should skip the JCGC and BCC and travel on out to Cali to run in some podunk race? See heres how it works, you have to send the horse to the races that matter to win HOY, the horses don't come to you.

My God, the horse is the first horse IN HISTORY to sweep the big three California races in the same year, he's undefeated, answered every call, and is the feel-good story of the year in racing (depending on Barbaro's outcome)....of course he's HOY if the voting was today! The only other horse that could be considered would be Barbaro. Could he beat the "mighty" (sic) east coast horses if he ships? I think he run them into the ground! It's just as valid to ask...could they ship to California and beat him?? Putting a horse down because a particular horse finished a non-threatening second to him is crazy...somebody always finishes second, even if his name is Hookwink...now there was a race to build stature (yet all anyone says is "Wow, Man O War once won a race by 100 lengths"). Lava Man is the on-track story of the year in racing and until proven otherwise, is the best horse in America...PERIOD!!!! You want some...come get ya some!...or, as Slick Ric says, "To be the man, ya gotta beat the man!"

Why is the JCGC any more of a prestigious prep than the Pacific Classic or any other California race, the difference here Oracle is the West coast horses seem to have to adhere to this standard of racing on the East or their legitimacy is questioned, the East coast horses can run against no better fields and they get this pass as if they are always facing quality, the fact of the matter is they AINT!!!! Who is so good on the East Coast that Lava Man should be afraid of? I think when they all meet up in the Classic, than that should be fine, why should the West coast horses have to constantly be criticized for not running East? It seems to me more west horses run better in the east than vice versa. This was like the Azeri campaign, they all knocked her till the B.C. , than there was no knocking. Agood horse is a good horse, it floors me that people suupposedly in the know can question the heart and integrity of a horse like this, he's a dual surface Grade 1 winner who runs his eyes out, he would be the darling of the racing world if he was trained in the East, it's just a travesty. I love good horses like this, I've been just as big a fan of Eastern horses as Western, and I NEVER stipulate they should have to run in the West to prove their worthy of adulation, this Eastern bias is sickening.

He also won a grade 1 on TURF this year too.. but who'd he beat in that race? ;)

I agree. Give this horse some credit for his great accomplishments this year. We'll see how he stacks up at the end of the year.

No, but Seek Gold and King's Drama are.

He is the kind of horse that likes to toy with his opponents, like Seabiscuit used to do. He waits on them. I don't know if you noticed that the horse who looked him dead in the eye throughout the first half of the race finished last. In the Hollywood Gold Cup, he was toying with Magnum until he saw Ace Blue coming. Then, he accelerated again.

lol waits for horses, id like to see him wait for Flower Alley and INvasor..lol

That is what he did in the Hollywood Gold Cup. That is why the jock on Magnum pushed Magnum to the rail. He knew that Magnum would never get by Lava Man while Lava Man was right beside him looking the horse in the eye. When the jock on Magnum made that move, Magnum actually gained back on Lava Man until Lava Man saw Ace Blue coming. Then, Lava Man turned it on again, and those two quickly got away from Magnum.

I will be very surprised if FA is ever the horse that he once was. I would put Lava Man right at Invasor's ability. He may even be better than Invasor. Lava Man is a horse who consistently runs the last quarter of a mile in under 25 seconds on the dirt. On the turf, he is faster. In the Charles Whittingham, his last quarter of a mile was an unbelievable 22.9 seconds. Of course, his first half mile was much slower in the CW than it is in most of his dirt races.

If he had to wait for Flower Alley he'd have to learn to run backwards.

I could not have said it better myself.

Except for the fact that St. Laim won the MOST IMPORTANT race for older horses, that'd be the Breeders Cup Classic. Lava Man won't do that, especially with Invasor and Bernardini there. My guess, "something" will happen that'll prevent him from running in the Breeders Cup. Seabiscuit he isnt; yet to see the media jump on the Lava Man bandwagon. I wonder why that is.

Well....I'd say mostly because the "media" only really covers the Triple Crown races.

And Lava Man is a gelding, why would they duck folks in the Breeders Cup Classic? It's not like they have something to gain by not running, and it's not like Slew City Slew is a super active sire anymore either.

It's great how folks can see the future...will be interesting to hear the excuses if Lava Man rolls across the finish line leading by open lengths in the BCC. Saying it "can't" happen or he "won't" run is the stuff of foolishness...whistling past the graveyard!