Lava Man to Dubai?
 

Next start is the Sunshine Millions Turf followed by a possible start in Dubai in one of their Turf races....

Where he will get drowned.

My thoughts too.

he may not even win the sunshine race..out side of his sand box cali

They don't want to go to the million dollar Sunshine Millions race because they don't want to ship....but they are now going to ship half way around the world. Makes sense.

I guess for five or six million the ship makes MORE sense but he isn't that good and one has to believe those races should be pretty strong. He's a neat horse, and one you can root for, but this seems tough. But, hey, I give them credit for taking a shot. There probably isn't really a race for him until the Hollywood Gold Cup anyway.

No, it's at Santa Anita. He is staying there for the turf instead of shipping.

Free accomodations and the Dubai first class treatment I suppose is their logic. ;)

I'm not so sure about that. I actually think he is much better on the turf than he is on the dirt. He beat King's Drama pretty easily in the Whittingham who looked pretty good on Sunday. How he will ship is a huge question mark but I don't think it is a foregone conclusion that he'll get drowned in Dubai. The Tin Man ran 2nd there last year. We know he can't ship and run on the dirt, now we'll find out if he just can't run out of California period.

If his feet are as bad as they say they are it seems that it would be easier for him to run on a dirt base that has more cushion than the CA tracks.

I'm not a fan of King's Drama who as far as I can tell has never beaten any reasonably talented horse nor overcome a scintilla of trouble. The Tin Man was second but didn't he get beaten a reasonable amount? Plus, with the purse being much bigger this year one would have to think the field will be stronger. On the other hand, there are no more good horses running anywhere in the world, so how good can the field be.

It will make the race more exciting.

The Tin Man was beaten 3.5 lengths. It was however a 15 horse field so 2nd is nothing to be embarassed about.

I am pretty confident that Lava Man wont even hit the board in Dubai. I wonder if the connections are getting paid to go there by Godolphine. Shipping Lava Man out of Cali for anything doesnt make sense to me.

if he ships there ..i dont expect him to hit the board....flim maker lol he allways ran good for me..that dubai track has some strange turns..im sure the euros will send a good one there..for the turf..

oh god why? this is so pointless IMO...no way Lava man ships to the dessert and wins...not if he can't ship to KY and hit the board. This is stupid on the part of his connections. He's a nice horse that likes to stay home! Why can't they accept that?

I don't know if they pay an appearance fee but they pay EVERYTHING else...I remember hearing stories about it from the Bradley's after Brass Hat went.

Some folks can't wait to slam Lava Man. If you insist on the "he can't ship" outlook, then look at it this way: Lava Man has never lost on turf when he's shipped.

I think he has an excellent chance to hit the board. If he does, all the slammers will knock the competition, as they did for The Tin Man. Or they will say he stole the race. (As they, again, did for TTM in the Arlington Million.)

--Dunbar

Or they will be right and, as usual, the people who took free internet shots will never revisit their bad opinions. But, should they be wrong, I'm sure those same internet cowards will come to remind them.

As an example....where are all of Perfect Drift's ridiculous pre-BC defenders?

I think he could do alright. Dubai throws up alot of strange results. would he go for the sheema over 12f or the duty free over 9f though?? Both of them had huge cash injections last year, both worth the same amount. If he won either, he'd win the second richest race of the year..

If the goal for 2007 is to be embarrassed at the international level... then this is a great move...

Someone please remind the O neill barn that all medications must cease at least 30 days out from the race. We don't need another Brass Hat fiasco.

I think there is a difference in bashing Lava Man and being realistic. I think most have the opinion that shipping Lava Man to Dubai is not best for the horse. I think he could stay in Cali and dominate on that scene and pocket another 1-2 million

That could turn out to be Lava Man's biggest undoing.

Lava Man has never shipped and won on dirt. Now that he is turf only, why not try. He ran two pretty decent turf races last year from what I remember. I'm not too confident, but we complain when horses don't run and now we complain when horses are planning to run. I say ship him and run...that is the purpose of the game. If he gets destroyed...who cares??

*Raises hand.*

Perfect Drift had a legitimate excuse in the BCC.

As for Lava Man, if the horse was stabled in Kentucky all year as he is California, I think he would run just as well in Kentucky. I don't think it's the track surfaces that do him in... I think it's his uncomfort in being stabled in new digs. Just my take on it...

Which was?

Didn't he come back with a breathing problem or am I losing it? I could have sworn that I read that somewhere...

He might have had a problem breathing all that dirt that was kicked in his face...J/k

LOL... you're right. :p

He DID run uncharacteristically poor for him. Although he doesn't actually WIN very often, he is normally running at the end. I was shocked by his 8th place finish.

They come up with an excuse everytime he runs (or blame other trainers). I think it's about time they consider him no longer Grade 1 material and start from there.

That is not a completely true statement , you can work on Lasix up to 10 days out from the race , Im not sure about the withdrawl times for bute and so forth , but I know Lasix is 10 days . Pleasantly Perfect and The Tin Hombre both worked at least once on lasix in dubai before their races.

Yes, he's WAY too slow.

I disagree, but opinions are like a$$holes, everyone has got one. ;)

how can you think that..he has no chance at winning ever in the class that he chooses to run in...he gets a check..but no wins.. gator are dateing murray johnson?

No, but we both have big noses. :p

Here is my disagreement... you guys think that Perfect Drift is SLOW. I DON'T see him as a slow horse. I see him as a fast horse who doesn't give more than he has to. (Ok, so he's a hanger.) Because of that, he appears slow...

Can you honestly say that you think he was 100% in the BCC? I mean, come on... it was like he wasn't even running! He ran terrible and I don't think that was because he's "too slow."

Agree in general. So, I'll try to make a point of checking back in on this one either way. I hope you will, too.

--Dunbar

Did you purchase the past performances for the Classic or are you recalling the Perfect Drift of 2 years ago?

No, I'm talking about the Perfect Drift than ran 8th in the last BCC in November. Whatever, I supported the horse before the BCC and felt like he had a legit shot since it was at Churchill Downs and the horse likes CD. I was wrong, and I admitted I was wrong both immediately after and RIGHT NOW. Let me know when you guys are done with me... :p

I still think he had a legit excuse. I hope he comes back strong next year and gets a couple of wins.

I can, yes. The result in the Classic was to be expected. He did run his race in the BC, he didn't belong in the race.

He once belonged in that race, he doesn't anymore. He is simply not fast enough to be any factor in a race like that anymore.

Pop quiz, what do the following top thoroughbreds all have in common?

Ball Four
Suave
Seek Gold
Watershed event

Now THAT'S a low blow.

LMFAO!