West Will Power Retired

West Will Power (Bernardini–Wild Promises, by Wild Event), last-out winner of the GI Stephen Foster S., has been retired from racing after suffering a soft tissue injury, trainer Brad Cox confirmed Tuesday. The news was first reported by Dave Grening of Daily Racing Form.

A homebred for Gary and Mary West, West Will Power hit the board in 15 of 17 starts, with seven wins and earnings of $1,745,390. In addition to his victory in the July 1 Stephen Foster, the 6-year-old also won this year's GII New Orleans Classic and last year's GII Fayette S. He was second in the 2022 GI Clark S. He was also runner-up in the 2023 GIII Razorback H. and 2021 GIII Philip H. Iselin S. and was third in the 2023 GII Alysheba S.

West Will Power, who had been pointing towards Saturday's GI Whitney S., worked five furlongs in 1:02.24 (1/4) Saturday at Saratoga.

Stud plans for the son of graded stakes winner Wild Promises–a half-sister to multiple graded winner Icy Atlantic (Stormy Atlantic)–have not yet been made.

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Andthewinneris, Impressive Maiden Winner on Turf, Tries Dirt in Bashford Manor

Susan Moulton's Andthewinneris (Oscar Performance), an impressive debut winner over the turf at Keeneland in April (video), will move to the main track when he makes his second start in the Bashford Manor S. at Churchill Downs July 4. The bay colt had his second work over the Churchill main track Sunday, going four furlongs from the gate in :49.60 (50/95). He worked the same distance in a bullet :46.80 (1/156) June 18.

“There were, and still are, a lot of options we had for him after he broke his maiden,” trainer Wayne Catalano said. “I sent him over here [to Churchill Downs] to see how he'd handle this dirt course and he cruised over this track [June 18]. He worked :46 and change and galloped out really strong. We popped him out of the gate [Sunday] and just let him go easy so he can feel what it's like to break out of the gate on the dirt. He's shown us a lot of promise when he won first out. Susan bred him and he's a really nice-looking colt.”

Andthewinneris is out of Run Like the Boss (Scat Daddy), a mare purchased by Moulton for $30,000 while in foal to Astern (Aus) at the 2018 Keeneland November sale. The mare, in foal to Cupid, resold for $20,000 to Stephen Smith and Denise Jones at last year's Keeneland November sale.

Andthewinneris RNA'd for $67,000 at the 2021 Keeneland September sale, two months before his half-brother by Enticed sold for $42,000 as a weanling at the Keeneland November sale.

Also working at Churchill Downs Sunday, Last Samurai (Malibu Moon) went five furlongs in 1:01.40 (7/17) for new trainer D. Wayne Lukas. The Willis Horton colorbearer, who is pointing towards Saturday's GII Stephen Foster S., will be making his first start since winning the Apr. 23 GII Oaklawn H. for trainer Dallas Stewart.

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The Week in Review: Beyond Derby Aspirations, Pletcher Duo Blooms

Getting a 3-year-old to peak precisely on the first Saturday of May is an over-arching goal in our sport. But even for the very upper crust of colts, a brush with GI Kentucky Derby aspirations ends up being nothing more than an early diversion on a much longer development arc.

It's always intriguing to watch how one-time Derby hopefuls progress over months and even years, and two of them from Todd Pletcher's barn signaled Saturday that they might be A-level factors in the second half of this season.

Within the span of 15 minutes June 4, 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel (More Than Ready) and Dynamic One (Union Rags) each posted one-length victories, respectively, in the GII Pennine Ridge S. at Belmont Park and in the Listed Blame S. at Churchill Downs.

Emmanuel had been brought up to the cusp of this year's Derby, but after running a no-impact third in the GI Toyota Blue Grass S. over a drying-out track that he might not have cared for, Pletcher said the $350,000 KEESEP colt would be freshened for nearly two months and then resurface on grass in the Pennine Ridge against fellow sophomores.

The switch yielded immediate-gratification results, and Emmanuel could now be targeting a bigger lawn party, the GI Belmont Derby Invitational S. July 9.

Debuting last Dec. 11, Emmanuel won his first two dirt starts at Gulfstream Park and Tampa Bay Downs by a combined 10 1/4 lengths while on the front end at every call. In the GII Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth S., this robust pacemaker was favored until the final flash, then got knocked off his game by failing to attain the lead and enduring a tour-of-the-track trip that hooked him four and five wide on the turns.

After that, Pletcher was on the fence between running back in the GI Florida Derby or shipping for the Blue Grass. Since he had fellow 'Rising Star' Charge It (Tapit) primed for the Gulfstream spot, Emmanuel had to take his show on the road to Keeneland.

Charge It ended up running second in a Florida Derby that featured a three-way pace meltdown, while Emmanuel was no match for blunt-force closer Zandon (Upstart), who would end up going off as the second fave and running third in the Derby.

Pletcher, who also trained Emmanuel's sire in the early 2000s, said as far back as January that Emmanuel was “a bigger, scopier colt” than most of More Than Ready's progeny. He likened Emmanuel to his trainee Verrazano, “a big, physical, strong imposing colt” who won the 2013 GI Haskell Invitational S.

Emmanuel dispatched with his Pennine Ridge foes like an in-control 19-10 favorite who relished being on the lead, practically walking through the first six of nine furlongs, but igniting to life when roused for run in both upper and deep stretch. Like we saw in his first two dirt starts, Emmanuel was never fully extended.

And while his 88 Beyer Speed Figure appears at first glance to be on the soft side (matching his Blue Grass number on dirt), it's also an artifact of the dawdling internal fractions, and offset by a final furlong timed in an eye-catching :11.89 for the “about” distance.

Better late than never…

Dynamic One has taken a bit longer to figure things out. Now four, he ran the worst of four Pletcher entrants in the 2021 Derby, getting pinballed at the break and checking hard the first time past the sixteenth pole. He was never in it to win it, turning for home last at the quarter pole and gaining only one position by passing an eased-up entrant.

After an 0-for-3 start in the winter of 2020-21, Pletcher hadn't sugarcoated that he expected better out of this $725,000 KEESEP colt. But he also explained how Dynamic One was hindered by shorter distances and outer gate draws before breaking his maiden by 5 1/4 lengths in start number four when stretched out to nine furlongs. In a bid to accrue last-chance Derby qualifying points, Dynamic One earned respect with a wide-on-both bends effort in the GII Wood Memorial S. at 15-1 odds, losing the race only on the final head bob.

Despite a top-side pedigree anchored by the 2012 GI Belmont S. winner and a female family that resonates with Phipps-homebred stayers, Dynamic One was in way over his head when taking the seemingly obligatory shot in the Derby. He rebounded by winning the Listed Curlin S. at Saratoga last summer, ran seventh in the GI Runhappy Travers S., then was shelved until this spring, when he ran third in the GIII Challenger S. at Tampa and second in the GIII Ben Ali S. at Keeneland.

But Dynamic One's trip-troubled go in the Ben Ali was far better than it appeared on paper. Committed to the rail, he was rated back “on hold” for a good portion of his backstretch run, then got shuffled to last to regroup. He blitzed through a wall of traffic off the turn with his head cocked out toward the stands, and was getting to the tiring repeat winner, Scalding (Nyquist), in the final stages.

On Saturday in the nine-furlong Blame, bettors let Dynamic One drift up to 6-1 behind second-favored Scalding and another Pletcher entrant, the 11-10 chalk Americanrevolution (Constitution). A five-way speed scrimmage broke out on the first turn, then percolated down the backstretch, playing right into Dynamic One's off-pace tactics.

Cued to quicken three-eighths out, he methodically picked off speed-sapped leaders, and being spun out to the six path turning for home was no worry given the head of steam Dynamic One had built over the course of his prolonged, quarter-mile bid.

Despite his name, this is not the type of colt who will wow you with one spectacular flourish. But slow and steady still wins a few races here in speed-centric North America, and when five horses lined up at the eighth pole, all with a chance to win it, it was clear that Dynamic One had built the best momentum.

Off a career-best 99 Beyer, Dynamic One is a candidate for either the GII Stephen Foster S. at Churchill July 2 or the GII Suburban S. at Belmont July 9.

That latter option could set up both Emmanuel and Dynamic One for important 10-furlong tries on the same afternoon in two different races.

Not exactly the 1 1/4-mile test those Pletcher stablemates were initially aimed for at earlier points in their careers–but not bad consolation prizes, either.

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Arlington Million Among 53 Stakes at Churchill Spring/Summer Meet

The Churchill Downs spring/summer, which will include an Arlington Million Day card transplanted from the shuttered Chicago racetrack, will offer a record 53 stakes races worth $20.37 million. The 44-day Spring Meet is highlighted by the $3-million GI Kentucky Derby May 7 and will run from Apr. 30-July 4.

With the coordination of Ellis Park and the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, Churchill will host a special Arlington Million Day Aug. 13. The card will feature  four stakes cumulatively worth $2 million: the $1-million GI Arlington Million; $500,000 GI Beverly D. S.; $300,000 GII Secretariat S.; and $200,000 GIII Pucker Up S.

Other Arlington stakes to be run this year at Churchill are the $250,000 GIII Modesty S., $200,000 GIII ArlingtonS., $200,000 GIII Chicago S. and the listed $200,000 American Derby and $175,000 Hanshin S.

Eight of the 14 races on Kentucky Derby Day are stakes with purses totalling $7.16 million. In addition to the Derby, the first Saturday in May will showcase the $1-million GI Old Forester Bourbon Turf Classic; $750,000 GI Churchill Downs S.; $750,000 GI Derby City Distaff; $500,000 GII Pat Day Mile; $500,000 GII American Turf; and the $160,000 Knicks Go Overnight S.

Churchill Downs will host the $1.25-million GI Longines Kentucky Oaks May 6. The seven stakes that day total $4.25 million: the Oaks; $750,000 GI La Troienne; $500,000 GII Alysheba S.; $500,000 GII Eight Belles S.; $500,000 GII Edgewood S.; $500,000 GII Twin Spires Turf Sprint S.; and the Modesty.

Churchill's closing weekend features the $750,000 GII Stephen Foster S. The 1 1/8-mile race anchors an eight-race stakes card July 2 that totals $2.33 million and includes the $350,000 GII Fleur de Lis S.; $350,000 GII Wise Dan S.; and American Derby.

Churchill's first condition book of scheduled races features $120,000 maiden races throughout the Spring Meet. Additionally, there will be a $250 bonus awarded to trainers whose starters finish fourth through last in all non-stakes races.

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