Winning on both dirt and grass trumps the inside-outside California blemish. Are there two surfaces more different than dirt and grass? That is, would winning on dirt in both Calif and NY be more impressive than winning Gr I's on dirt and grass in Calif? Not IMO.
It's not like he's been scoring these wins while running slowly. He's tied for 2nd best Beyer of the year on dirt, behind only Sinister Minister's Keenland-aided 116. On grass, no horse has a better Beyer than Lava Man's 108 in the Whittingham.
I love the horse even though he's cost me money. I bet him in that NY race last year, and my BC future on Lava Man became instantly worthless at the same time.
If there were a Horse-Of-the-Half-Year award, it would have to be Lava Man. But lots of things can happen in the 2nd half of the year. I noticed, for example, that Flower Alley put in a very nice work yesterday or the day before.
--Dunbar
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Curlin and Hard Spun finish 1,2 in the 2007 BC Classic, demonstrating how competing in all three Triple Crown races ruins a horse for the rest of the year...see avatar
photo from REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
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