I guess one of the similarities might be that each is/was very tough when they ran under certain conditions. Lava Man's limitations were geographical, while Commentator's are pace-based, but they both needed things a certain way to do much. Although I'm not sure that fact really distinguishes those two from 99% of the horses running.
For the most part, I don't think the two really compare very well. I have been far more impressed with Commentator's best then I ever was with Lava Man's best. I think Commentator is one of the more talented horses we have seen in recent years, while I would not put Lava Man on that list. On the other hand, Commentator's biggest weakness is that he lacks the ability to ever put together a truly impressive overall season (like Lava Man did in '06) because of all of his various physical problems. They are two very different animals.
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