West Will Power Cruises to Fayette Victory
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Photo: Mathea Kelley
West Will Power romps home in the Fayette Stakes at Keeneland
In a five-horse field with no pace, jockey Joel Rosario took it to them on the front end with a dominating wire-to-wire victory aboard West Will Power in the $350,000 Hagyard Fayette Stakes (G2) Oct. 29 at Keeneland.
The race for the meet leading titles, which had been just as exciting as the racing on the track, wrapped in a dramatic fashion on closing day following West Will Power's 6 3/4-length score. His owners, Mary and Gary West, as well as his trainer, Brad Cox, solidified their positions at the top of their respective standings in what was the second to last race of the day.
"(West Will Power) got the setup, but he's obviously a nice horse," Cox said. "This was his third race off the layoff. He's a nice horse who's kind of finding his best stride later in life."
Seizing the lead from the break, Rosario never stepped off cruise control on the 5-year-old son of Bernardini as the pair doled out soft opening fractions of :25.17, :49.17, and 1:13.93.
Favored First Captain , traveling far back early on along with fellow Cox runner Fulsome , was set to drive past the half-mile pole but lacked a response, leaving West Will Power to his own devices as the field turned for home. Widening his advantage to 2 1/2 lengths at the quarter pole, the big bay continued to pour it on through the lane while his foes scrambled behind him.
Registering his first graded stakes win, West Will Power thundered across the line in a final time of 1:50.68 for the 1 1/8 miles on a fast track that was drying out as the afternoon went on.
Fulsome, fanned five-wide entering the stretch, rallied past tiring rivals to complete a Cox exacta. Last Samurai , owned by the late Willis Horton's Willis Horton Racing, was three-quarters of a length back in third after chasing West Will Power throughout.
Ending as the second choice at the windows, West Will Power paid $4.74 for a $2 win ticket.
"We're very proud of (West Will Power) and I have to thank Mary and Gary West for being patient with him and giving some time after last fall," said Cox.
Out of the graded stakes-winning Wild Event mare Wild Promises, the Wests' homebred returned from an 11-month layoff to place a narrow second in the R.A. "Cowboy" Jones Overnight Stakes at Ellis Park. Stretching back out to 1 1/8 miles, he then soundly defeated a stout lineup of older horses in a Churchill Downs allowance optional claimer. The next step was taking on graded company again, and he passed that test with flying colors.
Increasing his bankroll to $525,230, West Will Power sports a 5-5-0 record from 12 trips to the post.
Cox was happy to talk about his third consecutive Keeneland fall meet title. The trainer ended the season with 11 wins.
"Eleven is a great number and hopefully it spills over to the Breeders' Cup. A couple of years ago we had a great meet here in the fall and we had a great Breeders' Cup, so we're looking forward to the Breeders' Cup without COVID and with the fans here.
"It's great (the Wests won the owner's title)," Cox continued. "They won the title at Churchill in September and it's great; they support Kentucky racing and they have the numbers and the stock to do it with. Congratulations to them and I'm just fortunate to be a part of their team. They have supported racing for as long as I can remember."