West Coast Has Dubai World Cup In Sight
Bob Baffert, has won 3 Dubai World Cups till date, Silver Charm in 1998, Captain Steve in 2001 and Arrogate in 2017. He hopes
West Coast will help him make it an even four in 2018. The second place finisher to Gun Runner in the Pegasus World Cup is a heavy favorite to win.
With Gun Runner and Arrogate off to their stud careers, Baffert concurs with the assessment that the four year-old son of Flatter is the top “older horse now”.
West Coast can lead all the way and there is no reason to expect anything but a stellar performance. Baffert told Racing Post of West Coast, “He still needs some racing luck and we can't break like we did last year. What Arrogate did was pretty ridiculous. We don't want that again.”
Baffert’s runner first established himself as one of the most exciting dirt horses in the States with his win in the Travers Stakes at Saratoga last August. The bay colt made all in New York in a dominant display against his rivals in his age group.
West Coast owner Gary West in an interview with America's Best Racing said “He is the most accomplished horse we've had. We've had what I thought were some really, really good horses whose careers were cut short by an injury of some kind and had to be retired prematurely.” West also said, “He's a picture of health.” “Our intentions are to race him the entire year. We are not going to retire the horse this year.”
West Coast faces his old nemesis, Gunnevera in the 10 furlong event. Trainer Antonio Sano said of the Dialed In colt “The horse after the Pegasus Cup had a problem in the back with a testicle. In the Pegasus, it bothered him. Since then (after the problem has been rectified) he’s been a 100 percent different horse. His last two works he has worked like he never has in his life. We are preparing him the same way for Dubai and looking forward very much to the race. The horse is very, very good.”
West Coast has had four works since the Pegasus at Santa Anita Park, most recently going five furlongs in 59.40 seconds, the fourth-fastest of 114 horses at the distance. He is now ready to ship. "He's a top-class horse and a good shipper, which is important,” Baffert told Racing Post.
But the three-time Dubai World Cup-winning trainer could have as many as three in the race if each of those run well and bounce out just the same.
Current Dubai World Cup Possibles: West Coast, Forever Unbridled, Talismanic, Thunder Snow, Mubtaahij, Pavel, Diversify, Awardee, Hoppertunity, North America, Second Summer, Furia Cruzada, Special Fighter