At the start of this week, there were legitimate concerns about Sierra Leone's affinity for racing at Saratoga Race Course.
He had put in some very good efforts last year: a third in the Belmont Stakes (G1), second in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2), and a third in the Travers Stakes (G1).
Yet for a horse who won the 2024 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) and was last year's champion 3-year-old male, anything other than a win tends to raise eyebrows.
"He didn't win at Saratoga but the track was against him a bit. When you look at his speed figures, he ran some of his fastest numbers here. He didn't dislike the track. It wasn't set up for him. If he can get a clean trip and good pace in front of him, he'll be fine," trainer Chad Brown said in the days leading up to the $1 million Whitney Stakes (G1) at the Spa.
A few days later, after Sierra Leone rallied from last and won the Whitney, Brown added a footnote to his comments as he left the winner's circle.
"I guess he can run at Saratoga," he said.
Indeed, he can.
Beating a field of top older runners, including his nemesis from last year Fierceness, Sierra Leone closed from ninth and last after six furlongs while traveling seven wide and powered to a length win over Highland Falls in the Aug. 2 Whitney to give Brown his first win in the Spa's premier race for older dirt horses and co-owner Peter Brant his first victory in the race in 40 years.
"I'm very happy. He's a great horse and they always put you through highs and lows," said Brant, whose other Whitney winner came in 1985 with Track Barron. "It's always great to win these great races at Saratoga. I love New York racing and I couldn't be happier."
Brown, who grew up in nearby Mechanicville, N.Y., has won seven Spa training titles as well as most of the grade 1 stakes at the meet. But Saturday's win removed one of the items from his bucket list.
"Growing up around here, the Whitney and Travers are what the whole meet has been built around since its early days, so, for me to finally get one of them with my mom and dad here, my brother, my two daughters, it's memories that last forever," Brown said. "This is a really, really hard race to win and you have to have the right horse."
On this gorgeous August afternoon, Sierra Leone was surely the right horse.
Owned by Brant, the Coolmore partners, Westerberg, and Brook Smith, Sierra Leone staked his claim to being the top older horse as he renewed his rivalry with Fierceness, who was the 6-5 favorite in the Whitney while Sierra Leone was sent off as the 9-5 second choice ($5.90).
The two grade 1 winners met four times last year as 3-year-olds with a 2-2 head-to-head score that was ultimately decided by the son of Gun Runner 's 1 1/2-length victory over Fierceness in the Breeders' Cup Classic.
The 2025 scoreboard now tilts in Sierra Leone's favor as Fierceness led with three-sixteenths of a mile left before fading to fifth, 5 3/4 lengths behind the winner.
"I'm trying to beat all the horses, and I mean that sincerely. (Fierceness) is a top, top-level horse and some questions came at me this week, but you got to beat them all," Brown said. "I respect Fierceness. I respect Mindframe. Like I said this is not people racing. It's not the WWE. This is horse racing."
Speaking of Mindframe, while Sierra Leone earned a free spot in the Breeders' Cup Classic with his Whitney win through the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series: Win and You're In, Brown said the $2.3 million yearling buy will likely run in the Aug. 31 Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1) at the Spa as his final prep for a return trip to the World Championships at Del Mar. Mindframe, Fierceness' multiple grade 1-winning stablemate, is also pointing to that grade 1 test at the Spa.
"I would consider it because he hasn't raced that much," Brown said about the Gold Cup for the colt bred by Debby Oxley. "Last year I had handicapped the Travers to the Classic as barely the absolute maximum layoff for me and he was able to pull it off."
The pace was set by two longshots in the Whitney as 53-1 Mama's Gold and Brant's 70-1 rabbit Contrary Thinking scampered away by 6 1/2 lengths after a half-mile in :47:07.
As the speedsters faded from the scene, Repole Stable and the Coolmore partners' Fierceness moved up from third to take the lead on the final turn and entered the stretch with a short advantage. But he was swallowed by a line of closers with Sierra Leone and jockey Flavien Prat closing best on the far outside to stick a head in front at the eighth pole and cover the 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.92.
"He ran his eyeballs out," said John Velazquez, who rode Fierceness. "Not the way I wanted to do it."
Just inside of Sierra Leone, Godolphin's 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Highland Falls tried to stay with him but yielded late. A homebred son of Curlin trained by Brad Cox, he was two lengths ahead of 46-1 Disarm, a Gun Runner homebred for Winchell Thoroughbreds and trainer Steve Asmussen.
"I like where we are with our horse ... with the two runs this year and they have both been great. We need one more between now and the Breeders' Cup and maybe we'll be in good shape," said Cox, who will likely run Highland Falls in the Jockey Club Gold Cup.
The win was the fifth in 12 starts for Sierra Leone, who was purchased across the street from the Spa in 2022 at The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale, and pushed his earnings to $6,806,200.
Out of the Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love, Sierra Leone is her second of five foals and first winner. She foaled a Nyquist filly earlier this year.
With the victory, Sierra Leone became the eighth graded stakes winner this year for sire Gun Runner, whose other top runners this year include Santa Anita Handicap (G1) winner Locked and Chicago Stakes (G2) winner Vahva. Gun Runner stood the 2025 season for a fee of $250,000 at Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky.
Record Whitney handle
Saturday's card featured a Whitney day record all-sources handle of $49,651,341, breaking the previous mark of $40.4 million in 2022.
Paid attendance was 42,316.
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