When his racing career ends, Sierra Leone will be retired to stud to Coolmore America/Ashford Stud and his value as a stallion keeps rising and rising.
The morning after Sierra Leone won the $1 million Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course on Saturday to validate his star status, trainer Chad Brown called the 4-year-old the “best horse I’ve ever had my hands on.”
Coming from a five-time Eclipse Award winner as North America’s top trainer, this is high praise – and likely to help raise the stud fee for a son of Gun Runner being prepared to become a two-time winner of the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
It could be a crowning achievement – and final race -- for Sierra Leone, who seems to have gotten better and better in the biggest events – topping Fierceness in the 2024 Classic, and rounding into top form this year with a last-to-first run in the Whitney – one of racing’s most prestigious races for older horses.
Brown has won 19 Breeders’ Cup races, 14 of them on the turf, but Sierra Leone, a $2.5 million purchase, has never finished worse than third in his career on dirt – 12-5-4-3 for earnings of $6.8 million for owners Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith.
“I’ve trained a lot of great horses, and to me, I’d say unequivocally he’s the best horse I’ve had my hands on,” Brown said. “I’ve had great horses on both surfaces and a lot of champions, but he’s just in a different league.”
Brown said he’ll consider running Sierra Leone in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) at Saratoga on Aug. 31 prior to the BC Classic but has plenty of time to decide. Last year, Sierra Leone ran third in the Travers Stakes (G1) in late August prior to his Classic win.
“It’s still on the radar,’’ Brown said of the Jockey Club Gold Cup. “I know he had a hard race, but he’s only run three times this year, and one thing I’m not going to do is be afraid to run him.
“I’m not trying to protect anything like I’m scared to lose with the horse. My goal is to try and repeat in the Classic, and I have to do what’s best for that. I think what’s best for that is one more race.”
If he runs in the Classic, Sierra Leone could become only the second horse to win the race twice – Tiznow won in 2000 and 2001.
Sierra Leone earned an all-fees paid berth into the Classic, becoming the sixth horse to clinch a spot in the starting gate.
The others are Journalism (Haskell Stakes), Mindframe (Stephen Foster Stakes), Hit Show (Dubai World Cup), Costa Nova (February Stakes), and Forever Young (Saudi Cup)
The maximum field for the 1 ¼-mile Classic is 14. There are four more “Win and You’re In’’ races as part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series – the Juddmonte International Stakes on Aug. 20 at York, the Pacific Classic on Aug. 30 at Del Mar, the Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31, and the Goodwood Stakes on Sept. 27 at Santa Anita.
In addition to Sierra Leone, possible starters for the Jockey Club Gold Cup include Mindframe, scratched from the Whitney in favor of the JCGC; Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show, and Whitney runner-up Highland Falls.
The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) announced Saturday's 13-race Whitney Day program at Saratoga, highlighted by Sierra Leone’s victory in the 98th running of the $1 million Whitney (G1), generated record wagering handle of $49,651,341.
The Whitney Day handle figure is a 22.7% increase over the prior Whitney Day record of $40,461,888, which was set in 2022.
Paid attendance on Saturday was 42,316, with on-track handle of $8,551,067.
On Saturday night at Del Mar, Bob Baffert-trained Seismic Beauty ($4.20) led from the start and won the $400,500 Clement L. Hirsch Stakes (G1) by 1 ½ lengths.
The victory earned the 4-year-old filly an all-fees paid berth to the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) at Del Mar on Nov. 1.
Ridden by Juan Hernandez, Seismic Beauty covered the 1 1/16-mile in the 1:42.33 and gave Baffert his third straight win in the race. Kopion was second and Richi was third. The winner improved to 4-2-1 in seven career starts.
“That wasn’t an easy lead, they were rolling. She’s a big filly. She looks like she’s going easy, but they were going fast,’’ Baffert said. “She’s just getting better and better. She’s still maturing but I think she’ll improve off of that.”
