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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