Sierra Leone reflected his winning performance in the Longines Fokers’ Cup Classic and met from behind to beat an All-Star field in the $ 1 million grade 1 Whitney Stakes 2 August on Saratoga Race Course.
The 4-year-old Sierra Leone concluded a field of top older runners, including his Saratoganemesis of Fierceess last year, closed from the ninth and last after six furlongs while they travel seven wide and were driven to a length of a length in second place in Highland Falls. Sierra Leone ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1: 48.92 under Jockey Flavien Prat, and paid $ 5.90 to win as the second favorite in the Nine Horses field.
With the Whitney part of the Breeders ‘Cup Challenge series, Sierra Leone deserved a “victory and you are in” Automatic paid berth in the November 1 Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
The victory gave trainer Chad Brown his first victory in the most important race of the Spa for older dirt horses. Brown, who grew up in nearby Mechanicville, NY, has won seven Spa training titles, as well as most of grade 1 in the meeting, but one of the remaining items from his bucket list deleted on Saturday.
“Growing up here, the Whitney and Travers are where the entire meeting has been built around since the early days,” said Brown. So, for me to finally get one of them with my father and mother here, my brother, my two daughters, they are memories that last forever. This is a very, very difficult race to win and you have to have the right horse. “
On a beautiful August afternoon for an on-track crowd of 42,316, Sierra Leone was definitely the right horse. Owned by the Coolmore Partners, Peter Brant, Westerberg and Brook Smith, Sierra Leone raised his claim to be 2025’s top older horse with the victory.
The pace in the Whitney was determined by two longshots, as 53-1 mums was gold and Sierra Leone’s 70-1 rabbit ran with 6 ½ lengths after half a mile in: 47: 07. While the speedsters fade out of the scene fade, 6-5 favorite fierceness went up with a third place and went the pipeline. Felcess was quickly swallowed by a line of shutter, however, in which Sierra Leone and Prat closed the fastest on the farest to put a head in front of the front in the middle.
Just within Sierra Leone, the Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Highland Falls from Godolphin from 2024 tried to stay with him in the play, but admitted himself late and settled for the second, two lengths before 46-1 Scot-weapon who finished third. Felcessness faded to fifth place.
The victory was the fifth victory in 12 lifelong starts for Sierra Leone, who successfully renewed his rivalry with fierceness until last year. The two degrees 1 winners met four times as 3-year-olds with a 2-2 head-to-head score that was eventually decided by the victory of Sierra Leone 1 1/2 length over Fiercessess in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Brown said that Sierra Leone will probably run the next in the class 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup August 31 in Saratoga as his last preparation for a return trip to the Breeders’ Cup in Del Mar. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Sierra Leone is likely to be confronted with another division leader, Mindframe, Mindframe, Fierceness’ Multiple degree 1-win stablemen, which is also pointed out of the race.
Saturday’s map contained a Whitney Day Record All-Sources Handle of $ 48,651,341, in which the previous number of $ 40.4 million was broken in 2022.
After a victory in the 8 June Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes on 1 1/8 miles, cutbacks with success back to a mile to conquer his second consecutive degree 1 peat victory in the $ 750,000 Fanduel Fourstardave Stakes on Saratoga Race Course.
Intellect came in second place when I grabbed in second place when I had defeated 1 1/4 lengths. Win for the money was another three -quarters of the length back in third place.
Deterministic, a 4-year-old son of Liam’s card trained by Miguel Clement, raced a mile on strong peat under Jockey Kendrick Carmouche in 1: 33.87. He paid $ 11.20 to win.
The Fourstardave Stakes is part of the Breeders ‘Cup Challenge “Win and You’re in” series, and with his victory deserved a paid, automatic berth in the Fanduel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF on del Mar 1 1.
Elsewhere on the Saratoga 2 August racing map, trainer Riley Mott, son of Hall of Famer Bill Mott, received his first Graded Stakes victory with World Beater in grade 1 $ 750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational Going 1 3/16 Miles on the grass. Kilwin won the grade 1 $ 500,000 test Stakes presented by Ticketmaster, and Ewing won the grade 2 $ 200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes for 2-year-olds who wore the side of social media influencer Griffin Johnson.
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