Ahh Sith,
What was done to the farm by the storm troopers will not be forgotten.
Then came Jabba, Jabba, Jabba.
Shame it is what they did to Hans. Shame it is.
"Blowhard?" Evil side...best words you can find, yes?
Light sabers haven't come out yet.
Berna is a mighty one, deny all you will.

when, if, bernardini wins the bcc, than i might compare him to the best of the last 30 years. but some of those who are on that list beat other great horses to get there! bernardini is no affirmed, since he has had no alydar to beat, the older horses he defeated saturday are not the same caliber as those that ap indy beat in the classic. heck, they aren't even of the calibre that henny beat yesterday! mr hughes beat the reigning bc sprint winner, among others, and on that ones 'home' track.

secretariat had sham, and then fort marcy, affirmed had his alydar, sunday silence his easy goer (and vice versa!)...a great horse, a true great, beats the best--it's why damascus' victory over buckpasser and dr fager is considered the race of the century. don't have the competition to beat, than you beat the clock.
gz had a lot of detractors til after the bcc-his first at that distance, and won in style over the best, and with the stakes record to boot.

henny had a heck of a race. so did lava man for that matter! i can imagine the scathing remarks had lava man met and defeated the type of field that bernardini met!!

lol
and now i'll be called a 'hater'. can't have any discussion about this horse without being put in box 'a' or box 'b'.

So wait. Lava Man "really showed you something" in beating BROTHER DEREK at nine furlongs by 2 1/4 under urging, but Bernardini beating Wanderin Boy by 6 3/4 at ten panels in a gallop was nothing? Way to go.

Bernadini
 

I think this is a very nice horse and he ran a nice race in the preakness. That was his last real race, he has faced small fields and some nice horses. I await the classic when he has to run in a race where there are more than five horses and is a quality field. He is NOT Barbaro !!!!!

In a handicap where he's giving 9lbs hell yes he showed me something. And i'll take a horse that fights to win over one that hasn't been looked in the eye or asked down the stretch anyday. Especially when the odds will be much better with the proven fighter.

lava has continued to run and win all year. a lot of people thought he might not win based on closer races earlier this year, and now going 10f while carrying 126 and giving weight. as scuds pointed out in his post yesterday, that might mean the difference. it didn't. was also bro dereks first loss at that track i believe.

no, he's not barbaro. but he's DEFINITELY bernardini. they're both good, and neither should be put down in order to lift the other.
i thought the post where someone wrote 'barbaro who?' was in poor taste.

It is Bernardini's race to lose at this point, but I will admit that Lava Man is a very, very good horse as well. I have nothing but good to say about LM. He is my favorite horse running right now besides Bernie. However, I don't think that Lava Man is in the same league as Bernie. In fact, I don't think any horse can run with Bernie in the world right now at a mile and a quarter. It wouldn't surprise me if LM finished out the exacta in the BC Classic though. Bernie is so fast that he just blows by his opponents. IMO, Lava Man won't ever see him coming.

Whose fault is it that Bernardini never gets looked in the eye, when Lava Man is life and death to beat the vaunted Brother Derek, Magnum, Super Frolic triumverate over and over again? Should Bernardini slow down and look horses in the eye like Seabiscuit? It's hilarious. You're criticizing him for being too fast. I'm sure if Bernardini had "looked in the eye" of Wanderin Boy or Bluegrass Cat or Sweetnorthernsaint and "fought to win," you'd all be praising him, right? Bull****. Everyone would be on their "he struggled to win" high horse. All this ****ing west coast horse does is beat up on the same tired nags all year long, and you want to give him more credit because he's a "fighter"? How about he's just slower than Bernardini? You really think Bernardini would've had to be urged to beat Brother Derek by 2 1/4?

At no point was Bernardini ever in trouble of getting past WB, that was a forgone conclusion before they entered the gate, he's going to have more traffic and better horses to deal with in the BC, but he'll probably win anyway, he's good and there's not much that can beat him, other than Lava Man and David Junior and I am not sure they will be able to do it....My point is that everyone says he does things so easily, well he's very talented and he hasn't faced much, what happens when he's hooked, will he fold or show his class, at very low odds in the BC, I'll use him on top in exotics and p3's and p4's and hope he runs 2nd, but I would never make a large win bet on him, you can still make decent money in the BC even with heavy favorites. ...I had him at the best price, that was long before all of this insanity has gone on. He's very good and could be great, but I think people have short memories, what about a horse like GZ, Smarty Jones. What about Silver Charm, he only was a graded stake winner at 2,3,4, and 5 won the KY Derby, Preakness, Dubai World Cup. He ran a faster speed figure than Bernardini did and certainly against better competition.

all the top horses dodge each other. all of them want only one chance to lose, and that's in the classic.

Tells me that Zito is a pretty sharp guy, getting 2d and 3d yesterday and picking up about a quarter million dollars or so for his owners from a race neither horse had a shot in hell of winning.

I'm really looking forward to seeing Bernardini having a tough challenge or overcome a bit of trouble.

If you're this upset over a differing opinion I can only imagine what you would be like at the BCC if Bern loses. It's just an opinion, man!!

I've seen too many sure things not come through to get behind the horse so passionately like some of you have. No pun intended there.

Just look at the Titans-Colts right now. Who woulda thunk that the Titans would be leading late in the fourth?

The BCC is where he's most vulnerable. He's a play against at extremely short odds. I've never denied the horse is great. This is my opinion purely from a gambling perspective. Either he's beatable or the race is unbettable outside of big exotic tickets.

The competition Bernardini faced yesterday may have been weak, but I think anyone who was there yesterday knew we were seeing something special.

1.MOver yes. Out of the gate to get position, not even close with Smarty.
2.bigger yes, but what does that have to do with the price of walnuts?
3.faster NOOOOOO. NO flippin way.
4.better built yes, but what does that have to do with the price of walnuts?
5.more talented. No way to tell, he has not been tested like Smarty. Three grueling triple crown races against a much better 3 yo old group. Talent includes heart. Again not Bernardinis fault.

So basically because you like how the horse looks, therefore he is better.

Bonzo post. There have been quite a few horses that looked like crap that were great runners. Too much into the visuals, forget performance.

I'm into the way that both horses moved and how both horses performed on the track. You can tell the quality of the horse by watching them move and run in races. IMO, Bernardini was definitely better. IMO, Smarty Jones doesn't even compare to Bernardini. In fact, I also think that Barbaro, Afleet Alex, and Point Given were better horses than Smarty Jones. And I think that Bernardini could have beaten all of them, although Point Given may could have given him a run for his money. Point Given was also another very talented animal.

This is really pointless.

the luck part for Bernie has been unlucky for his foes. Barbaro and Bluegrass Cat both suffering career ending injuries during the race. thus, these 2 were eliminated from each race and future challenges to him as well.

that was a ok run by dini..after he wins the bc then he will get the respect from those who think hes not the goods ..all hes ever done is win..easy...he was going to get a gut check..from bluegrass..didnt happen..dylan t..didint happen..so when they find someone to go with him we will see...dont think that thiers any horse in the usa that can beat him..discreet cat...hmm discreet entry......good job yankees..your the green monkey of baseball..

ANd I was a nonbeliever in Smarty to begin with. Here was the process.

1. Must win the Arkansas to get into the Derby, the pressure is on, will he fold, no. I thought he would.
2. The Derby. Sloppy track, could be a fluke. The field destroyed.
3. Preakness. Some of the good runners holding off till the Belmont. Crushes the field. Im saying Ok he is good.
4. BELMONT: Double teamed by two very very good horses, he crushes them both, he HOLDS form grudgingly letting Birdstone by, in one of the most wonderful displays of courage I have ever seen by a horse.

Smarty JOnes was shaking in his stall after the race. He could barely stand. The horse was magical. Small, breeding questionable compared to many others, so some people blow the performance off. THAT BELMONT WAS ONE OF THE GREATEST DISPLAYS OF EFFORT EVER.

Smarty is annointed by Pope pgardn at that point. One loss in his career. His last. AT 1 1/2 miles. Dont diss my Smarty. He got the chance to show his stuff. Lets hope Bernardini gets that chance by please letting him run at Four... This is just not a deep BCC year. Megs, Congaree, Pleasantly Perfect, a younger Perfect Drift, where are you...

Again into the looks. By your posts only Point Given could possibly be given the title. Point Given was a horribly unattentive horse in his early 3's. His derby was bad, showed his lack a complete lack of why he is on the track. His Preakness was a again sloppy, as he enjoyed looking at the crowd while winning. His Belmont was awesome. They got him to understand what he was supposed to do. And then his races after that were all very professional. So of course because he was big, bred well you think he moved well. Watch the Derby and the Preakness again and you will see how raw PG was at that time.

We are clearly wearing diff lenses and put emphasis on a very different part of the sport. I dont give a flying flip about how pretty a coat, or how well muscled a horse is until he has to show guts. Thats the difference here.

I wasn't dissing Smarty. I loved the horse too, but I was making the observation that he just wasn't as good as some of these other horses...

Oh, but we have Invasor, Sun King, Lava Man, and David Junior.

I never said that PG moved well. I said that he was a better horse than Smarty Jones. It is all about how the horses perform on the racetrack. That is why I don't understand how people can't recognize how great of a horse Bernardini is. His performances are flawless.

Yes they are. Flawless. The horse looks like the real deal. But I personally have another criteria for greatness, not just talented. I hope he gets his chance to show it. You say he is Tiger Woods. I say he has not faced enough good competition to be recognized as such.

Run him at 4. Please. Otherwise. Larry Holmes. For those of you that used to be, or are still into boxing. A great boxer. But never put up as the close to the best. Because he boxed at the wrong time. Again not Larry/horses fault. And there is no way I put the horses you mentioned that might be in the BCC at the same talent level as Congaree, Pleasantly Perfect, and Megs. No way. All of these horses were warriors and proved so numerous times.

Pleasantly Perfect made 17 starts over 3 campaigns. Not exactly a warrior schedule.

And look at the level of those races and the competion. He battled the best, even when he was too old to stay with them. Bernardini wont even run at 4.

True and true

I love Smarty. But he's not in Bernardini's class.

Well said Ateam.
Let's just enjoy this one.

That's impossible for some of these people. Enjoy a tremendous horse? No.. Can't do that. We have to tear him apart and wait for the next tremendous horse.. So we can.. You know.. Tear that one apart.

Good you see it.
He's not Larry Holmes.
Nor dare I say, the next Secretariat.
Some of these folks remind me of my uncle.
He'd chug two glasses of metamucile before going to bed.
Wake up in the morning and go for the ex-lax.
Chug it down with coffee and a cigar or two while sitting on the can.
Waiting and waiting.
Pushing and pushing.
Uhh! Uhh!!!
Maybe if he just relaxed and let it happen, it would have happened.
My guess is that he just tried too hard to make it that way.
To make a long story short, he died with a frown on his face. Nothing the funeral director could do would make him look comfortable in his coffin.
Yup!
Terminal constipation.
Moral of story...this sh-t will kill ya.

We need Repent to go Smarty on Bernardini, that will send some over the top...

Come on Repent, you are great at this, you can do it, I remember in the Spring of 2004, your Smarty rants were things of beauty...

Actually, I like Repent. Never a question as to where he stands (or sits).
So, Point, why do you need him to speak for you?
UMM, ERR, HUH???
Fight your own battles.
Your asking for Repent to chime in is ridiculous as Nostra's brother going against Oracle.
No contest.

I can't do it the justice that Repent can, I was a big fan of Smarty and he had me seething behind the keyboard more than once with his rants. I am not in the same league with what he can come up with, he's much better, he'll have the Bernardini cheerleaders crying, no doubt about it...

Hey,
I was at Smarty's Belmont. It's burned in my memory.
I loved that one. The only ones that saved that day for me were Board Elligible and Fire Slam. Do I hate smarty cause he was ganged? No. Gutsy!
Now it's time to live in the now.
Berna is the best we've had in quite a while.
'Nuf said.

Repent loves Bernardini. Sorry.

I most vehmently disagree at this point. I need more.

bernardini would destroy smarty jones. would not be competitive. this is an incredible specimen. he is perfectly bred and his action is flawless.

Instead of sitting around and waiting for Bernardini to lose, why cant some people just enjoy whats right in front of them?

I want what is sitting right in front of us to show himself. Not destroy horrible 4 horse fields. That we have 4 horses running in a race like this clearly shows the level of competition. Nil. His most impressive race, the Preakness. For 3 year olds.

Smarty ran against much better horses and had a much more difficult schedule. Bernardini has got to waltz around thus far. Cmon folks he is not gonna be in a BC field with horses Like Roses in May, Ghostzapper, Congaree, Megs, Pleasantly Perfect. Jeez Louise. This has been a bad year. We started out nicely and horses have just gone down the tubes with injuries. I hope Lava Man can give him a go and they just bust each other up. But the horse dont travel. Im not holding my breath. Quit trying to sugar coat everything. The level of depth is cellophane thickness.

If Bernardini and Lava Man for some odd reason dont make it to the BCC, what have we got left, healthy, ready and top notch?