By Jessica Martini
Gary and Mary West's Malibu Sunset (Bernardini), tabbed a 'TDN Rising Star' after a 10 1/2-length debut victory at Fair Grounds Sunday for trainer Wayne Catalano, will be heading west to join the Southern California barn of trainer Bob Baffert. “We actually made the decision to send him to Bob Baffert before he even ran,” the Wests' racing manager Ben Glass said Thursday. “The Wests live in California and they don't have a lot to watch out there right now. You don't want to send an empty wagon out there and we thought he was going to be a good horse, so we made the decision to send him out there.”
While the colt had been expected to make his debut in California, travel issues caused connections to call an audible.
“He was supposed to go to California three planes ago,” Glass laughed. “He was supposed to start at Santa Anita, but there wasn't room on the last plane, so we had to wait for the next plane. And when he was ready to run, Mr. West said, 'Go ahead and let Wayne start him.'”
Even getting Malibu Sunset, a $240,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase, to the races was a project.
“Jeff Kirk and I loved him down here in Ocala last year,” Glass recalled. “And then he just had problems with his shins and a bunch of problems, so we just left him with Wayne and finally Wayne got him right. Wayne did a great job with him–this colt tried to shin buck all year. But it worked out good for Wayne that they didn't have the plane because he got to run him and got the win.”
Malibu Sunset stormed home the easiest of winners Sunday in his six-furlong debut at New Orleans and was rewarded with a 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I don't know the maidens he beat and I've learned a long time ago I don't get too excited,” Glass said. “But 92 was a great Beyer. That made me happy.”
While his debut trip around the Fair Grounds oval was a piece of cake, getting to California is proving more difficult for Malibu Sunset. The colt was expected to ship west Thursday, but the trip was again postponed.
“He had a plane [Thursday],” Glass reported. “They left Lexington, went to Ocala and loaded and they were on the way to New Orleans to pick him up and they had to turn around and go back to Ocala because something happened to the plane. So he had to go back from the airport to his stall at Fair Grounds and he still hasn't got a plane out there. But he is supposed to be on a plane [Friday].”
Once the colt gets to California, Glass has high hopes for the youngster.
“We hope he turns out to be the real deal,” he said. “We had a bad year last year, so we're hoping to have a little better year this year.”
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