In a dramatic triumph at Del Mar, Sierra Leone, ridden by jockey Flavien Prat, captured the $7 million Breeders Cup Classic on Saturday, ending a season marked by near-misses and delivering his trainer, Chad Brown, his first Classic win. Sierra Leone outpaced the field with a decisive 1½-length lead, covering the 1¼-mile distance in 2:00.78 and rewarding backers with payouts of $15.80, $5.60, and $3.60. For Brown, the win was especially sweet, as it brought him within a single Breeders’ Cup victory of legendary trainers Aidan O’Brien and D. Wayne Lukas, each of whom boasts 20 Cup wins.
This Classic win marked a satisfying high point for Sierra Leone, whose three-year-old campaign has been a rollercoaster of thrilling performances and agonizing finishes. Sent off as the 6-1 fourth choice, the colt redeemed himself after recent disappointments, including a heartbreaking loss in the Kentucky Derby, where he was edged out by Mystik Dan by just a nose. He later placed third in the Belmont Stakes at Saratoga, and had similarly close calls, finishing second in the Jim Dandy and third in the Travers Stakes.
Sierra Leone’s journey to this victory was not only a showcase of skill but also one of endurance and resilience. Saturday’s win was the first outing for the colt after a two-month layoff—a calculated decision by Brown, who clearly found the winning formula for his talented yet inconsistent charge.
Fierceness, the 5-2 favorite, put up a strong fight, securing second place with returns of $4.40 and $3.20, while Forever Young, the top Japanese entrant, finished 2¾ lengths behind in third, paying $3.60 to show. The field was packed with talent, including notable contenders such as Bob Baffert’s Newgate, who finished fourth, and City of Troy, a 4-1 shot from Ireland trained by Aidan O’Brien. City of Troy, a dominant presence on turf, struggled to adapt to the dirt surface, finishing eighth in his first start outside the grass circuit.
For Brown, Sierra Leone’s victory represents not just a personal milestone but also a tribute to his late mentor, Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel. Frankel’s only Classic win came with Ghostzapper in 2004, and Brown’s long-held aspiration to follow in those footsteps was finally realized in this unforgettable Breeders’ Cup moment. Now just one victory away from joining O’Brien and Lukas at the top of the Breeders’ Cup wins leaderboard, Brown has solidified his status as one of the sport’s elite trainers.
With this Breeders Cup Classic win, Sierra Leone has etched his name in racing history and offered a powerful reminder that resilience and skill are the keys to redemption in the unpredictable world of horse racing. As the season concludes, the industry will no doubt keep a close eye on Sierra Leone’s future performances, particularly with the 2025 racing season on the horizon.
