Another consideration was the human connection.

Trainer Lawrence had Glorious Empire who, not that long ago, busted out on the Saratoga Lawn late July 2017 and mowed down rivals at generous odds in a very nice 2018 season. Bowling Green and Sword Dancer come to mind.

https://www.horseracingnation.com/horse/Glorious_Empire#

BTW Bernie was quite a boxer with a tragic end to his life:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benny_Paret#:~:text=Bernardo%20%22Benny%20the%20Kid%22%20Paret,born%20in%20Santa%20Clara%2C%20Cuba.