Gary and Mary West's West Coast (Flatter–Caressing, by Honour and Glory), a two-time Grade I winner and the reigning Eclipse Award-winning 3-year-old male, will retire to stud at William S. Farish's Lane's End Farm for the 2019 breeding season.
A son of Carl Pollard's 2000 champion 2-year-old filly Caressing and bred in the name of his CFP Thoroughbreds, West Coast fetched a bid of $425,000 from the Wests' bloodstock agent Ben Glass at the 2015 Keeneland September sale, a price that ranked as the joint second-highest of 42 yearlings by Flatter to sell that season. A maiden winner at second asking, the athletic bay colt just missed in the GIII Lexington S. in his first try against stakes company, then rattled off five consecutive victories capped by a 3 1/4-length victory in the GI Travers S.–defeating 2017 Classic winners Always Dreaming (Bodemeister), Cloud Computing (Maclean's Music) and Tapwrit (Tapit)–and a towering 7 1/4-length success in the GI Pennsylvania Derby. He was an outstanding third to future Horse of the Year Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) in the GI Breeders' Cup Classic to sew up championship honors.
West Coast has kept top-class company in his three runs thus far in 2018, completing the exacta behind Gun Runner in the GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational S. at Gulfstream in January ahead of a second to Thunder Snow (Ire) (Helmet {Aus}) in the G1 Dubai World Cup in March. The latter franked the form of that race with a near-miss in the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup last weekend. West Coast gave an excellent account of himself in his first start in six months, fighting on gamely to be second to likely GI Breeders' Cup Classic favorite Accelerate (Lookin At Lucky), who is also headed to the Lane's End stallion barn. His current record stands at 12-6-5-1 and earnings of $5,743,800.
“I shipped him four times, west to east and then to Dubai, and he ran a huge race every time,” commented trainer Bob Baffert. “He's been first or second in all but one start, never off the board, and won at five different tracks. All the while taking on, and beating some of the best horses in the world. The good ones like him, they're just different.”
West Coast is on track for a start in this year's Classic at Churchill Downs Nov. 3.
“After such a game runner-up effort in the Awesome Again coming off the layoff, I am enthusiastic about the upcoming Breeders' Cup Classic,” said Gary West. “Mary and I are hoping West Coast can prove once again that he's one of the preeminent Classic horses in the country. We are glad that, upon the conclusion of his racing career, West Coast will stand alongside some of the top stallions in the nation at Lane's End Farm.”
West Coast is a half-brother to the graded-stakes placed Juan and Bina (Indian Charlie) and Gold Hawk (Empire Maker) and to the dam of Japanese GSW Danon Legend (Macho Uno).
“West Coast is a Champion out of a Champion. Not only has he proven that he's an exceptional racehorse, but he descends from the A.P. Indy sireline, out of a champion mare, picked out by a highly respected judge. He's a very exciting addition to our roster,” said Will Farish.
A stud fee will be announced at a later date.
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