Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

Well, those are the only two races in which has shipped out of Cali (that I know of unless he shipped when he was a claimer), and so based on those two performances, I have to acknowledge the fact that he may not be a good shipper. I just don't have anything else to go by. In fact, he may be a good shipper and it is just a coincidence that he didn't perform well in the two races in which he shipped. I know that most, if not all, horses don't ship successfully from the US to Japan. Also, he could have had a legitimate excuse as to why he didn't perform well in the JCGC last year. Quite frankly, I think that the horse was tired from three monstrous back to back performances. I know that he wasn't himself in that race. Do you know if they found any physical ailments with him after that race?

If Lava Man does win the BC Classic, it would be one of the greatest stories ever in the history of the sport. I would be fanatic if he won because I love the horse! But if he doesn't perform well at all in the BCC, then it is most likely because he isn't a good shipper. Of course, we'll probably have some on this message board saying that he just isn't good enough.