Bernardini and Lava Man, favorites to win the $5 million Classic
By Marshall Smith
The Breeder’s classic that will be held in November, will feature a duel between east coast’s sensation Bernardini vs. West Coast star Lava Man.
Last Saturday, Bernardini achieved a victory at Belmont Park and obtained the $750,000 Jockey Club Gold Cup, while at the same time, at Santa Anita, Lava Man won the $500,000 Goodwood Breeders’ Cup.
On November the 4th, both horses will dispute the “horse of the year” on the $5 million Classic at Churchill Downs.
“It’s going to be fun leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, we’re ready for him.” Lava Man’s jockey Corey Nakatani said.
Bernardini and Lava man are not the only strong contenders as Invasor, winner of the Whitney Handicap, Santa Anita Derby winner Brother Derek and 2005 Kentucky Derby winner Giacomo are also on the run.
In the Gold cup, Bernardini won over Wanderin Boy who finished 2nd, “It’s the first time I almost clapped for a horse that beat me, that was pretty cool.” Wanderin Boy’s Trainer Nick Zito said.
On his side, Lava Man has become a rags-to-riches story. He hasn’t lost since the 2005 Japan Cup, when he finished 11th due to a foot injury. Then, on January he started with another winning streak of seven races, when he won the Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita.
Lava Man and any other horses from the USA and Europe will have to put up a tremendous effort if they want to win over Bernardini as his performance on the Jockey Club Gold Cup might be a good indication that he is the favorite to go with the victory.
“It’s unbelievable how he gets better with every race, if he just comes and runs the same race as he has been doing, he may never have that situation.” trainer Tom Albertrani said Sunday morning outside his barn at Belmont.
About the author:
Marshall Smith is part of the talent writers’ team on sports for the betting industry at Instant Action Sports. Feel free to reprint this article, but always make sure to leave all links in place and do not modify any of the content.
Technorati Tags: Bernardini, Lava Man, Corey Nakatani, Invasor, Brother Derek, Giacomo
October 18th, 2006 at 1:16 pm
[…]Bernardini. Yeah, yeah. He’s getting all the buzz now. And he rightly deserves so.[…] So he’s really the horse to beat on Nov. 4. If he goes all the way and win the BC Classic, he’ll surely get Horse of the Year. Handicappers expect him to go head-to-head with[…]
[…] Lava Man has become a rags-to-riches story. He hasn’t lost since the 2005 Japan Cup, when he finished 11th due to a foot injury. Then, on January he started with another winning streak of seven races, when he won the Sunshine Millions Classic at Santa Anita. […]