Replicating his triumphant effort in the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic from the prior autumn, Sierra Leone surged from the rear to triumph over a stellar assembly in the $1 million Grade 1 Whitney Stakes on August 2 at Saratoga Race Course.
Prevailing against a selection of distinguished older competitors, notably including Fierceness, his Saratoga adversary from the preceding year, the 4-year-old Sierra Leone progressed from ninth and last position after six furlongs, navigating seven paths wide, and accelerated to a one-length victory over Highland Falls, who secured the runner-up spot. Sierra Leone completed the 1 1/8 miles on a brisk track in 1:48.92 under the guidance of jockey Flavien Prat, offering a payout of $5.90 for a win as the second choice in the nine-horse contest.
As the Whitney constitutes a segment of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series, Sierra Leone secured a “Win and You’re In” designation, ensuring an automatic, pre-paid entry into the Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar on November 1.
This triumph marked trainer Chad Brown’s inaugural victory in the Spa’s esteemed competition for seasoned dirt horses. Brown, who spent his formative years in the neighboring locale of Mechanicville, N.Y., has accumulated seven Spa training titles, in addition to prevailing in the majority of Grade 1 stakes events at the gathering, but Saturday’s achievement eliminated one of the outstanding objectives from his aspirations.
“Having been raised in this vicinity, the Whitney and Travers have represented the central pillars of the entire event since its inception,” Brown remarked. Consequently, the opportunity to finally attain one of them with my mother and father present, along with my brother and my two daughters, creates enduring memories. This race presents a formidable challenge to win, necessitating the possession of the appropriate horse.”
On a resplendent August afternoon, witnessed by an on-site audience of 42,316, Sierra Leone undoubtedly proved to be the requisite equine. Owned by the Coolmore consortium, Peter Brant, Westerberg, and Brook Smith, Sierra Leone solidified his claim as a leading contender among older horses in 2025 with this triumph.
The tempo in the Whitney was dictated by two outsiders, with Mama’s Gold, at 53-1 odds, and Contrary Thinking, Sierra Leone’s 70-1 companion, establishing a lead of 6 ½ lengths following a half-mile in :47:07. As the frontrunners diminished in momentum, Fierceness, the 6-5 favorite, advanced from third position to assume the lead on the concluding turn, entering the homestretch with a marginal advantage. However, Fierceness was promptly engulfed by a contingent of closers, with Sierra Leone and Prat exhibiting the swiftest progress on the outermost path, ultimately edging ahead in mid-stretch.
Positioned just inside of Sierra Leone, Godolphin’s 2024 Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup victor, Highland Falls, endeavored to maintain pace with him in the homestretch but ultimately yielded, securing second place, a substantial two lengths ahead of Disarm, who finished third at odds of 46-1. Fierceness gradually faded to fifth place.
This victory constituted the fifth triumph in Sierra Leone’s 12 career appearances, successfully renewing his rivalry with Fierceness, which originated the previous year. The two Grade 1 victors had previously competed on four occasions as 3-year-olds, resulting in a 2-2 head-to-head record that was ultimately resolved by Sierra Leone’s 1 1/2-length advantage over Fierceness in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic.
Brown indicated that Sierra Leone’s forthcoming race would likely be the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on August 31 at Saratoga, serving as his final preparation for a return engagement at the Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar. In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, Sierra Leone is anticipated to encounter another divisional leader, Mindframe, Fierceness’ stablemate and multiple Grade 1 winner, who is also slated for the competition.
Saturday’s event generated a Whitney Day record all-sources handle of $48,651,341, surpassing the previous benchmark of $40.4 million established in 2022.
Following a success in the Resorts World Casino Manhattan Stakes over 1 1/8 miles on June 8, Deterministic effectively reduced the distance to a mile to secure his second consecutive Grade 1 turf victory in the $750,000 FanDuel Fourstardave Stakes on August 2 at Saratoga Race Course.
Intellect mounted a rally to seize second place, finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind. Win for the Money trailed by an additional three-quarters of a length in third position.
Deterministic, a 4-year-old offspring of Liam’s Map under the guidance of trainer Miguel Clement, completed a mile on firm turf under the direction of jockey Kendrick Carmouche in 1:33.87. He yielded a payout of $11.20 for a win.
The Fourstardave Stakes constitutes a component of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge “Win and You’re In” Series, and with his triumph, Deterministic secured a pre-paid, automatic entry into the FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Mile presented by PDJF at Del Mar on November 1.
Separately, on the Saratoga August 2 race card, trainer Riley Mott, son of Hall of Fame inductee Bill Mott, achieved his inaugural graded stakes victory with World Beater in the Grade 1 $750,000 Saratoga Derby Invitational over 1 3/16 miles on the turf. Kilwin emerged victorious in the Grade 1 $500,000 Test Stakes presented by Ticketmaster, and Ewing prevailed in the Grade 2 $200,000 Saratoga Special Stakes for 2-year-olds, donning the colors of social media personality Griffin Johnson.
