West Sunset leads all the way in Rags to Riches Stakes

West Sunset won her career debut in spite of the race’s six-furlong distance rather than because of it. Going two turns and 1 1/16 miles Sunday at Churchill Downs, the filly took a major forward step leading from start to finish while posting a 6 3/4-length tally in the $199,000 Rags to Riches Stakes.

Sunday was the first day of a new Churchill race meeting. After two wins from two starts and a romp while stepping up in class and stretching out, West Sunset’s connections can think about the first Friday next May at Churchill.

“Hopefully she’s a filly we can dream about the Kentucky Oaks with,” said Brad Cox, who trains West Sunset for her breeders, Gary and Mary West.

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Gin Gin was nowhere close to West Sunset but completed a Cox exacta finishing second, 2 3/4 lengths in front of favored V V’s Dream. V V’s Dream had been pre-entered in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies and held a major speed-figure edge on her rivals, and with one last blast of win bets, she went off as the 1-9 favorite.

Unprepared for the start, V V’s Dream broke last, made a mild move around the far turn, and was one-paced through the homestretch. Candy Landy was fourth, Floored last of five racing over a sloppy, sealed track. Shimmering Allure and Twirling Good Time were scratched.

West Sunset, by West Coast out of Vindicated Ghost, by Vindication, had rallied from well off the pace and just got up in her sprint start. The way she raced that day, the nature of her stride, and West Sunset’s gallop-outs in her works stamped her as a route prospect.

“She was good enough to get up going three-quarters, but we always thought she’d be better going longer based on pedigree and how she trained,” said Cox.

Cox said he had considered scratching West Sunset in favor of the Tempted Stakes next weekend in New York. Instead, West Sunset ran out of her own stall and broke running Sunday under Flavien Prat. Rating on the lead, West Sunset went her opening half-mile in 48.99, an easy pace. The chasing horses closed the gap on West Sunset into the far turn, but Prat had been playing possum; he let West Sunset out a notch, she opened up again, and no one came close to her through the stretch run as she stopped the timer in 1:46.31.

The Rags and Riches is part of the Road to the Kentucky Oaks; the winner earned 10 Oaks qualifying points, Gin Gin five, V V’s Dream two, and Candy Landy 1.

The Golden Rod Stakes on Nov. 25 at Churchill is a logical next step for West Sunset, but Cox cautioned that race might come up too quickly for the filly. The goal, after all, is the first Friday in May, not the last Saturday in November.

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