Lava v. Flower
Being a grandson of Slew, I love the Lava Man. It is true that he really hasn't beaten anyone, but who else has? Certainly not Flower Alley. Something went wrong with him in that insane Pac classic last summer. I don't think I agree with keeping him on the left coast to run in the HGC and Pac C, both races at 1 1/4 on the dirt. I would love to see him in the Arlington Million and then the Woodward before the Classic. LM, if he stays healthy will be around for a while. It is easy to root for a guy like him.
I find it hard to get excited about Flower Alley. He seems to have a course similar to Ghostzapper mapped out with hopes of being HOY with only four or five starts.....and then off to the breeding shed more than likely. FM might accomplish this goal. I won't be rooting for him if he does meet the LM in the BCC.
I see Bernardini as the possible upsetter of these two. His Preakness was super impressive and Albertrani did the right thing skipping the Belmont, an obsolete race that is really only of great importance to a horse going for the TC. It has taken its toll in the last few years. Smarty never ran again. Birdstone ran once, and Alex never ran again. Empire Maker ran once, and Funny has won one meaningful race in the last three years.
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