Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith’s Kentucky-bred Sierra Leone outfought fellow Kentucky-bred Fierceness through the lane to win the $7 million Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.

Derma Sotogake (JPN) led the field through fast early fractions of :22.43, :44.96, and 1:09.44 with Fierceness in close pursuit. Rounding the far turn, Fierceness ranged up to the outside of the pacesetter and took over with Sierra Leone following his move.

Sierra Leone drew on terms with Fierceness at the head of the lane and forged past his foe in the stretch to score by 1 ½ lengths at the finish. Forever Young (JPN) rallied to finish third. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Flavien Prat, Sierra Leone covered the 1 ¼ miles in 2:00.78. The victory was worth $3,640,000, improving Sierra Leone’s bankroll to $6,008,000 and improved his lifetime record to 9-4-3-2.

Well Deserved Win for Sierra Leone

The Classic marked the second Grade 1 win for the son of Gun Runner who was bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley. Sierra Leone also won the Blue Grass S. (G1) at Keeneland en route to a second-place finish in this year’s Kentucky Derby (G1). Winner of the Risen Star S. (G2), Sierra Leone has also placed in the Travers S. (G1), Jim Dandy S. (G2), and Belmont S. (G1). Produced from the Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love, Sierra Leone was a $2.3 million acquisition at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in 2022.

“Awesome. It’s been a challenging Breeders’ Cup so far,” winning trainer Chad Brown said following the Classic. “I have such an unbelievable team and had a lot of confidence in this horse. It sure looked like on paper that the race could set up for him.

“I am so proud and happy for the horse,” Brown added. “He’s come up short a few times and had some excuses. He’s been so consistent and is such an honest horse. One of the best I’ve ever had. It’s such a great ownership group. Everyone is just so patient. He ran straight and it’s been a long season for him. I thought we took a tough beat in the (Kentucky) Derby, but we did it with class and respect and went back to the drawing board and worked on getting him straight. My team deserves a lot of credit along the way for working with this horse.”

Prat said of the race, “Obviously the pace was good, and we found ourselves in a good spot. I was able to stay outside, and the whole way around it felt like I was gaining ground on the leaders. Actually, I was a bit worried that I got there (to the front) too soon, but once I got the lead, I asked him to make his move and that was it.”