What is the key to West Will Power's improved form?

West Will Power has seen a gradual improvement under trainer Brad Cox, who took over conditioning duties for 6-year-old horse last year. The son of Bernardini won the Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) at Ellis Park on Saturday and appears poised to contend in more Grade 1 races in the second half of the year.

One part about West Will Power’s recent form sticks out. Instead of running as a stalker as he did under Kelly Breen two years ago, West Will Power now either sets the pace or presses the leader as his new style.

Once the horses straightened out onto the far side in the Stephen Foster, West Will Power went after the pacesetter Speed Bias and forced him to speed through faster-than-ideal fractions for the first half-mile.  

Perhaps more important, West Will Power had the option to settle into a more conservative spot, as the first turn set up for him to lay in a stalking position. But Flavien Prat chose to let West Will Power loose instead, even if West Will Power was going to run fast without restraint.

Although Speed Bias went too fast for West Will Power to secure the lead, West Will Power took the next best option in laying close in second. The upfront position gave West Will Power the chance on the far turn to open up in the stretch before Rattle N Roll could come with his rally.

Imagine if West Will Power took the stalking position instead and went into the far turn in a similar position as Stilleto Boy. After moving forward, Rattle N Roll began the top of the stretch right behind Stilleto Boy and rallied past him as he tried to close the gap on West Will Power. If West Will Power tried to outkick Rattle N Roll from the same position as Stilleto Boy as a more conservative stalker, Rattle N Roll would win.

West Will Power has either led or pressed the leader in all of his starts under Cox except for one. The outlier in his new form came in the R.A. Cowboy Jones Overnight Stakes at Ellis Park last August, where West Will Power made use of stalking tactics before closing for second to Injunction and losing by a head.

The change in running style is significant because some horses cannot win when they need to pass a number of horses. On the other hand, those same horses might get brave if they convert into pacesetters or need to pass only one horse as the pressing horse, such as West Will Power did last weekend.

As another example, think about the 3-year-old colt National Treasure and how he won the Preakness Stakes in May after setting the pace. He broke his maiden last year with pacesetting tactics as well, albeit at a shorter distance. But when National Treasure tried more conservative tactics in his races between the maiden win and Preakness, he lost.  

West Will Power won three races under Breen as a stalker, but he looks more powerful and consistent as a speed horse for Cox’s barn. He shows an amazing 50 percent win rate under Cox with four wins, three runner-up finishes and one third-place finish in eight starts, which only proves his instinct for winning is better with his new running style and trainer.

The changes in West Will Power’s form combined with the slightly weaker older horse dirt division have led to this horse becoming a major player in any dirt route for older horses. Expect West Will Power to pose a big threat in the important races leading into Breeders’ Cup season, with the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga looking like his next stop.