Barbaro (the Champ)

[chupster2]

I think it's a bit strong to say he shouldn't be in the voting, myself.

A simple fact that even the most ardent of Bernardini supporters couldn't even argue is, you take Bernardini out of the races he's won and insert Barbaro, certainly you'd have to like his chances of being sucessful in those races. Now you take Babaro's wins and take him out and insert Bernardini, well I see LOTS of question marks in him being able to win those races, and THAT is what people are missing in this debate. If you're going to punish Lava Man for winning against suspect competition, then you would have to do the same thing for what Bernardini is facing.

[Independent George]

I'm still not sold on the alleged "greatness" of Bernardidni. Yesterday he beat 5 horses setting a pedestran pace. He beat 5 horses in the Dandy including Minister's Bid (2nd) and Hemingway's Key (3rd). He beat 3 horses in the Withers. The Preakness,with 8 finishers, was a race in which the entire flow changed one furlong out of the gate, though I think it was Bernardini's most impressive.
I want to see him in a race with a semi-full field (9 or 10 horses); I want to see him in a race with legitimate speed types as well as some talented late foot. Then I want to see him duplicate to some extent the ease or winning margins he's been able to do against short, suspect fields before I hang the "great" sign on him.