West Coast likely to use Awesome Again as stepping-stone to Breeders' Cup
ARCADIA, Calif. - West Coast, last year's champion 3-year-old male who has not raced since finishing second in the Dubai World Cup in March, is likely to return to action on Saturday in the Grade 1, $300,000 Awesome Again Stakes at Santa Anita in a prep for his main goal, the Breeders' Cup Classic.
West Coast finished third in last year's Breeders' Cup Classic, which was run at Del Mar. This year's race is at Churchill Downs on Nov. 3. Although West Coast might need a few more works before being at his absolute best, trainer Bob Baffert on Tuesday said he thought getting in a prep now would be preferred to trying to train straight into the Classic.
"Bringing him to the Classic off works would not be fair to him," Baffert said Tuesday after West Coast worked a half-mile in 48 seconds at Santa Anita.
"He's not a brilliant work horse, like Arrogate or American Pharoah," Baffert added, referring to horses he brought up to the Classic off layoffs. "He's a little lazy."
Baffert said he would enter West Coast in the Awesome Again on Wednesday, "and see."
"I have until Saturday to decide," he said. "I'll enter, see what it looks like. I hate to have to run against Accelerate."
But the more Baffert contemplated the situation, the more it seemed West Coast would run in the Awesome Again, even if it means taking on division leader Accelerate, winner of the Pacific Classic last time out. The race would be a means to an end.
"I don't have to ship," Baffert said.
He added that the Awesome Again is the best prep for West Coast "if I want to give him a fighting chance in the Breeders' Cup."
West Coast has raced just twice since the Breeders' Cup. He was second in the Pegasus World Cup in January to Gun Runner before the Dubai World Cup. After the race in Dubai, he was given a lengthy rest.
The Awesome Again will have a small field. Accelerate, who won the Santa Anita Handicap and Gold Cup at Santa Anita earlier this year, will be the heavy favorite. The Lieutenant is also certain to run, trainer Michael McCarthy said Tuesday.