By Steve Sherack
Last year's champion 3-year-old colt and 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), winless in two attempts since capturing the GI Breeders' Cup Classic, came storming home from last of nine to book a return trip to Del Mar in Saturday's 'Win and You're In' GI Whitney S. at Saratoga.
Highland Falls (Curlin), winner of last summer's GI Jockey Club Gold Cup S. at the Spa, was a length back in second. 'Rising Star' Disarm (Gun Runner), runner-up in the 2023 GI Travers S., was up for third. The 6-5 favorite and 'Rising Star' Fierceness (City of Light) faded to finish a disappointing fifth.
The $2.3-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga graduate Sierra Leone, owned by Peter Brant, the Coolmore partners of Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook T. Smith, trailed the field as longshots Mama's Gold (Bolt d'Oro) and Chad Brown-trained stablemate Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief) ran off through fractions of :23.82 and :47.07.
Fierceness sat a tracking trip while well back in third and took over with a blitz as the pacesetters were spent on the far turn. Fierceness kicked for home seemingly in control, but Sierra Leone was just getting warmed up.
Fierceness was the one to catch in the stretch, but came up empty when the real running began. Sierra Leone came rolling widest of all and outkicked Highland Falls home to get the money.
“I was happy with his position,” winning trainer Chad Brown said. “He was quite far back and I knew when those horses were stopping out in the center of the track, that he was going to have to go inside horses and catch a lot of dirt. What we know about the horse now is that he's a long, outside-run horse, like he did in the Breeders' Cup and in the (2024 Kentucky) Derby and nearly won, so for him to cut the corner and catch a lot of dirt, which isn't his preferred way to pass horses, making up considerable ground to then get out with blinkers full of mud and get there was a really remarkable run by him. A lot of heart.”
Sierra Leone was winless in three previous attempts, all as the favorite, at Saratoga last season. He finished third in the GI Belmont Stakes, second in the GII Jim Dandy S. and third in the GI Travers S. The latter two were won by Fierceness.
Sierra Leone made two starts so far this season, finishing third in the GII New Orleans Classic S. Mar. 22 and a rallying second in the GI Stephen Foster S. June 28.
What's next?
“I would (consider the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup) because he hasn't run that much this year,” Brown said. “Last year, I had handicapped the Travers until the Classic barely as the absolute maximum layoff for me and he was able to pull it off. This is a little further away now, so I'm not sure I want that many weeks between races with a horse who has only run three times. I'm not afraid to run this horse. I'm not afraid of running again, because if he comes out of it sound, I have a lot of time from the Jockey Club Gold Cup.”
MV Magnier of Coolmore added, “He's a very good horse. We're blessed to be here and it's exciting. We just look forward to the Breeders' Cup.”
Pedigree Notes:
Future Coolmore stallion Sierra Leone is one of 10 Grade I winners worldwide for the brilliant Gun Runner, who won this same race in 2017. The Gun Runner x Malibu Moon cross is also responsible for MGISW and 'Rising Star' Locked. Broodmare sire Malibu Moon is responsible for 11 top-level winners.
The 10-year-old broodmare Heavenly Love, a homebred for Debby Oxley and winner of the GI Darley Alcibiades S., has also produced the unraced 3-year-old colt Domestic Policy (Nyquist) ($250,000 FTKOCT yearling purchase by Mike Ryan, agent), a Gun Runner filly of 2024 and a Nyquist filly of this year. She was bred back to Gun Runner.
This is also the same female family as Kentucky Derby and Classic third-place finisher Forever Young.
SIERRA LEONE wins the Grade 1 Whitney Stakes!
Last year's @BreedersCup Classic champ books his return with a “Win and You're In” score under Flavien Prat for trainer Chad Brown! pic.twitter.com/Rh8BnPLdD7
— NYRA (🎪) (@TheNYRA) August 2, 2025
Saturday, Saratoga
WHITNEY S.-GI, $1,000,000, Saratoga, 8-2, 4yo/up, 1 1/8m, 1:48.92, ft.
1–SIERRA LEONE, 124, c, 4, by Gun Runner
1st Dam: Heavenly Love (GISW, $346,200), by Malibu Moon
2nd Dam: Darling My Darling, by Deputy Minister
3rd Dam: Roamin Rachel, by Mining
($2,300,000 Ylg '22 FTSAUG). 'TDN Rising Star'. O-Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook T. Smith; B-Debby M. Oxley (KY); T-Chad C. Brown; J-Flavien Prat. $550,000. Lifetime Record: Ch. 3-year-old colt, 12-5-4-3, $6,806,200. Werk Nick Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*. Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree or free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Highland Falls, 124, h, 5, Curlin–Round Pond, by Awesome Again. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Brad H. Cox. $200,000.
3–Disarm, 120, h, 5, Gun Runner–Easy Tap, by Tapit. 'TDN Rising Star' O/B-Winchell Thoroughbreds LLC (KY); T-Steven M. Asmussen. $120,000.
Margins: 1, 2, 1. Odds: 1.95, 13.80, 46.25.
Also Ran: White Abarrio, Fierceness, Post Time, Skippylongstocking, Mama's Gold, Contrary Thinking. Scratched: Mindframe.
Click for the Equibase.com chart or the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.
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