Who owns California?
 

It's the LAVA DUDE!

that was impressive

How can you not love this dude? Very game win today!

Great run by Lava Man. Confident ride by Corey.

So strange...he wins today giving a relaxed front runner 9 pounds, when they went 1:13 and change, you knew AP Xcellent would be a factor. He wins on the turf, on the dirt and now on the artificial surface...it sure is strange that he does so poorly outside California. Before today, you could credit it to the hard Cal dirt surfaces but that's out the window...it almost has to be the shipping itself...this guy must be a homebody! Great run and congrats on tying the great Native Diver's record!

its great and exciting and everything, but the fields are just not that good.
AP Xcellent got beat by a claimer (Sun Boat) in the gR11 Californian.

Now he gives the immortal Lava Man everything he can handle in a GR1 race?
While another claimer (Big Booster) makes a bold stretch move and finishes within a length of the top pair.

He doesn't like "sleepovers"!:)

Mitchell sure can make them run.

You know better than that, there were at least two quality horses (beside Lava Man) in the race....this was pure guts, giving 9 pounds and the horse had an easy lead off 1:13+ fraction...of course he's gonna be tough in the stretch. I sure didn't see anything impressive in the Suburban today!

Lava ran a great Race:D

But at least the Suburban brought us this gem of a quote from Kent D.;

"He didn't just slow down, his head came up in the air and said 'Not today. I'm just not up to it,' " Desormeaux said. "I banged on him a couple of times, but it was like spanking on dead wood."

You just never know what Kent will come up with next.

I hate it when that happens

:rolleyes:
 

Baby, every time we kiss, Hot Lava Man
And every time that we make love, that's Lava Man, Hot Lava Man
It's lava so hot, it makes me sweat
And lava so warm, it's red and wet
Mountain is rumbling, We must find a safer place

Soon half of Pele, Will fall upon your face
Great Nectar of the Gods spews far from Pinatabo
Mixed with a Women's Sweat, it makes the Lava Man we know
Baby, every time we kiss, Hot Lava
And every time that we make love, that's Lava Man, Hot Lava Man
It's lava so hot, it makes me sweat
And lava so warm, it's red and wet

Burnin' through the forest, Where Red hot lava flows
Rolls down the islands body, and into the ocean below
When it meets the cool, cool water, there's a big flow of the living
Rich magma flowing into a sobiquious environment, Produces Pillow Lava Man
And starts a pressure of sea water
Tends to inhabit the vesical size of the basalt
Baby, every time we kiss, Hot Lava Man
And every time that we make love, that's Lava Man, Hot Lava Man
It's lava so hot, it makes me sweat
And lava so warm, it's red and wet

And after the eruption, you lay dormant for a while
Let's just hold each other and talk, For now, Pele sleeps
Baby, every time we kiss, Hot Lava Man
And every time that we make love, that's Lava Man, Hot Lava Man
It's lava so hot, it makes me sweat
And lava so warm, it's red and wet
Baby, every time we kiss, Hot Lava Man
And every time that we make love, that's Lava Man, Hot Lava Man
It's lava so hot, it's red and wet
And lava so warm it makes me sweat.

Lava Man is a stall racer when he ships. He just can't relax and leave his race at home, California.

totally disagree, very soft pace set up things well for Lava Man, and gave APX a shot. Any type of honest pace and its another story.

not saying Lava man doesn't have guts, he does. but I sorta look at it like he is the best of a so-so bunch out there.

who were the quality horses in that field?

as bad as the Suburban field was I think it had better quality. no claimers. with a wimpy pace like that fairbanks would have wired that field. 2:00.5 final time in the Suburban versus 2:03 and change in the Gold cup. hmmm.

and people are always totally stumped why Lava Man doesn't win when he travels. it's not that complicated.

9 lbs is a TON to give in a race!

If Fairbanks could of wired the Gold Cup he would of stayed to do just that. There is a reason horses dont ship to take the easy money in California. Lava Man is one of them.

You actually using times on artificial surface vs dirt?? Surely you know better than that also!

welcome to the hotel california....

apparently lava man is an eagles fan, as he feels he can check out any time he likes, but he can never leave (and win). enjoy what you have, don't cry about what you don't. think positive, not dwell on the negative. enjoy this horse for what he does (and boy does he DO IT) rather than worrying about what he doesn't. is your glass half-full or half-empty?

congratulations to lava man et al, for tying the record set by a grand gelding, native diver! enjoy, enjoy, and hope and pray that they cut more often!! hell with the intact horses, who run a dozen or less times and then go off to make more single-digit runners that stick around long enough to pique your interest, but not long enough to slake it!