West Coast’s West Sunset Skips Home in Rags to Riches

West Sunset (f, 2, West Coast–Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication) didn't let the Kentucky rain slow her down en route to a stylish coast-to-coast victory in a sloppy rendition of the Rags to Riches S. beneath the Twin Spires.

Coming into the race with a neck victory over a fast main track at this venue Sept. 16 after being forced to close from the back of the field, she took a diametrically opposed trip here, immediately establishing a clear lead right from the jump. Well in hand on a loose lead through both turns, she readily responded in the lane to register a 6 3/4-length victory over Gin Gin (Hightail), who got the best of heavy 1-9 favorite 'TDN Rising Star' V V's Dream (Mitole) for second.

 

A half to Bourbon Resolution, West Sunset has a 2023 half-sister by Maximum Security in the wings and is only one of four foals to the races for the mare. Vindicated Ghost is herself a half-sister to an accomplished fleet of runners including GSW Chelokee (Cherokee Run); MGSW & MGISP Salute the Sarge (Forest Wildcat); SW & GSP Mymich (A. P. Indy). This is the extended family of 14-time winner GISW Dismasted. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

RAGS TO RICHES S., $200,000, Churchill Downs, 10-29, 2yo, f, 1 1/16m, 1:46.31, sy.
1–WEST SUNSET, 122, f, 2, by West Coast
         1st Dam: Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication
         2nd Dam: Dixie Ghost, by Silver Ghost
         3rd Dam: Mississippi Dixie, by Dixieland Band
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN. O/B-Gary & Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Flavien Prat. $124,000. Lifetime Record: 2-2-0-0, $193,000. *1/2 to Bourbon Resolution (New Year's Day), GSW, $325,421.
2–Gin Gin, 122, f, 2, Hightail–Before You Know It, by Hard Spun. 1ST BLACK TYPE. O-Calumet Farm; B-Calumet Farm (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $40,000.
3–V V's Dream, 122, f, 2, Mitole–Quay, by Tapit. ($130,000 Wlg '21 KEENOV; $190,000 Ylg '22 KEESEP). 'TDN Rising Star'.
O-MJM Racing and Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek); B-Mark Stansell (KY); T-Kenneth G. McPeek. $20,000.
Margins: 6 3/4, 2 3/4, 6. Odds: 7.86, 9.07, 0.19.
Also Ran: Candy Landy, Floored. Scratched: Shimmering Allure, Twirling Good Time.

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Friday Insights: Homebred Curlin Colt Debuts For Gary And Mary West

1st-KEE, $100K, Msw, 3yo/up, 6f, 1:00 p.m.

A Gary and Mary West homebred, HOLLYWOOD ENDING (Curlin) makes the races Friday for trainer Brad Cox. The colt is the fifth foal out of Canadian champion 3-year-old filly Milwaukee Appeal making him a half-brother to MGSW Actress (Tapit), herself the dam of GIII Withers S. winner Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}). On a steady work tab at both Turfway Park and, more recently, Churchill Downs, Hollywood Ending comes in with a good foundation and picks up Flavien Prat for his debut. TJCIS PPS

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Thursday’s Insights: Ashland Runner-Up Punchbowl Returns at Keeneland

5th-KEE, $100K, Msw, 2yo, 7f, 3:08 p.m. ET
Gold Square's AIR OF DEFIANCE (Quality Road), a $400,000 Keeneland September purchase, is the 3-1 morning-line favorite after running a solid second behind 'TDN Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) over a muddy strip at Saratoga in his six-furlong debut Aug. 25. The Brad Cox trainee is the second foal out of graded stakes winner Faypien (Ghostzapper). St. Elias and Starlight Racing's It'smyluckytime (Not This Time), a $450,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling, makes his first trip to the post for trainer Todd Pletcher. Also debuting is Taylor Creek's Anthem King (Bolt d'Oro), a $300,000 Keeneland September yearling trained by Brian Lynch. Eddie Kenneally saddles Buck Pond Farm's homebred firster Justifreak (Justify), a half-brother to graded winner Fancy Dress Party (Munnings). Legion Racing's Popweiser (Nyquist), debuting for Wayne Catalano, is a half-brother to Grade I winner Search Results (Flatter). He was a $100,000 acquisition at this year's OBS April sale. TJCIS PPS

6th-KEE, $120K, OC 80k/N2X, 3yo/up, f/m, 1 1/16m, 3:40 p.m.
Gary and Mary West's homebred PUNCHBOWL (Uncle Mo) opened her career with a pair of wins at Oaklawn Park this winter and put her name in the mix for the GI Kentucky Oaks with a runner-up effort in the GI Ashland S. She has not been seen since that Apr. 7 race over this same track and distance and returns here as the 4-5 morning-line favorite. The Wests will also have fellow Brad Cox trainee Insignia (Curlin) in the race. The 4-year-old filly, a daughter of multiple graded placed Keep the Peace (Touch Gold), has hit the board in all five of her races to date. TJCIS PPS

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West Will Power Will Stand at Stud in Korea

Ben Glass, the stable manager for Gary and Mary West, has reported that GI Stephen Foster S. winner West Will Power (Bernardini–Wild Promises, by Wild Event) has been sold to a Korean farm, where he will stand at stud next year.

Glass said the deal was brokered by bloodstock agent Jun Park. Glass did not know what farm had bought West Will Power, but according to a Tweet from Korea Racing his new home will be Songma Farm.

On July 1, West Will Power picked up the biggest victory of his career, winning the GI Stephen Foster S. by a half-length, picking up his first Grade I win in the process. Afterward, however, he suffered a soft tissue injury and his retirement was announced in early August.

“He had an injury after that race, I believe in his left front pastern,” Glass said. “Dr. (Larry) Bramlage said it would take considerable time to heal, if it would heal at all. We didn't want to bring him back as a 7-year-old and maybe hurt him. He ran so well for us and was a homebred, so we decided the best thing to do was to retire him.”

Trained by Brad Cox, West Will Power was 7-for-17 during his career and earned $1,745,390. He also won the GII New Orleans Classic S. and the GII Hagyard Fayette S.

“He had a very nice career and that he's a homebred made it even nicer,” Glass said. “That's because we got the breeders' awards. We were really happy with him and the career he had.”

Glass said he tried to find a U.S. stallion farm that would agree to take West Will Power, but was unsuccessful.

“Sadly, Kentucky farms did not reach out to us and I tried quite a few,” he said. “I think with his age, being six, that probably stopped most of them. I tried hard to sell him throughout the whole United States. If this injury had happened earlier in his life I think we would have found a home for him here. But with his being six, then breeding at seven, his first foals would have been born when he was eight and wouldn't have run until he was 10. That's one of the reasons there wasn't a great deal of interest.”

The Wests have sent other stallions to Korea, including Concert Tour (Street Sense), the winner of the 2021 GII Rebel S. and the 2021 San Vicente S.

“We've sent a couple other horses to Korea,” Glass said. “We get pictures back and they just look gorgeous. They take great care of them and they are really coming on when it comes to their breeding program.”

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