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Sierra Leone (Flavien Prat) wins the Whitney for his first success since the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Photo: NYRA \/ Coglianese<\/p>\nSierra Leone (Flavien Prat) wins the Whitney for his first success since the Breeders’ Cup Classic. Photo: NYRA \/ Coglianese<\/p>\n
Breeders\u2019 Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone catapulted himself back up the Thoroughbred Racing Commentary Global Rankings with his third G1 score in the Whitney at Saratoga on Saturday [August 2].<\/p>\n
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Old rival Fierceness was sent off 6-05 favorite for the historic $1 million contest but he weakened after leading into the final furlong as Sierra Leone (#6 from #32, +250pt) appeared with his customary late run.<\/p>\n
With a third top-level score now on the colt\u2019s perfect in-the-money resume, Brown said he has no qualms about bringing Sierra Leone back in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on August 31 here as a springboard to the Classic.<\/p>\n
He turned back a determined bid from Godolphin\u2019s Highland Falls to record a one-length success \u2013 his first since last year\u2019s Breeders\u2019 Cup triumph over Fierceness at Del Mar.<\/p>\n
Carrying the Coolmore silks, Sierra Leone had been beaten on his first two starts of 2025 \u2013 hence a sizeable tumble down the TRC lists.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Now, though, he has asserted his claims to being the best older horse in the country. His trainer Chad Brown (#2 from #3, +37pt) certainly ranks among his biggest fans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve trained a lot of great horses, and to me, I\u2019d say unequivocally he\u2019s the best horse I\u2019ve had my hands on,\u201d Brown said. \u201cI\u2019ve had great horses on both surfaces and a lot of champions, but he\u2019s just in a different league.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Jockey Club Gold Cup at the same venue on August 31 is a likely target for Sierra Leone ahead of his title defence at the Breeders\u2019 Cup, for which he is 5-1 in European lists, where Sovereignty is current 2-1 favourite.<\/p>\n
Six-time graded-stakes winner Deterministic (#24 from #58, +113pt) has now won five of his last seven \u2013 the other two were seconds \u2013 yet still doesn\u2019t seem to get the credit he deserves as one of the top turf performers in the US.<\/p>\n
The four-year-old did it again with a decisive victory under Kendrick Carmouche (#102 from #137, +32pt) in the G1 Fourstardave for trainer Miguel \u2018Miggy\u2019 Clement (#180 from #238, +40pt), whose late father Christophe still sits at #39 in the rankings.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is great,\u201d said Clement. \u201cIt is very rewarding. He was my first Grade 1 winner. He has tactical speed so you can use it and the horse delivered.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is a top-class horse. He\u2019s won on multiple surfaces over a wide range of distances. He makes us look good because he is top-class.\u201d<\/p>\n
All roads now lead to the Breeders\u2019 Cup, via another G1 assignment in either the Woodbine Mile [Sept 13] or Coolmore Turf Mile [Oct 4] at Keeneland.<\/p>\n
In Europe, last week\u2019s most notable mover was Fallen Angel (#47 from #352, +325pt), who scored for the first time in more than 14 months with a narrow victory in the G1 Prix Rothschild as the summer season got underway at that French posh poseurs\u2019 pricey playground, Deauville.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Having not won a race of any kind since her Irish 1,000 Guineas success in May 2024, the four-year-old returned to her best over the straight mile \u2013 good ground helped, since she has generally been operating on surfaces faster than ideal.<\/p>\n
Also worth noting: another little sneak up the owners\u2019 rankings for Wathnan Racing (#16 from #18, +26pt). A growing force, indeed.<\/p>\n
Last week\u2019s showpiece meeting in Britain, of course, was the five-day Qatar Goodwood Festival \u2013 better known colloquially as \u2018Glorious Goodwood\u2019, although the torrential rain that hit the venue midweek rendered the whole thing rather less than glorious.<\/p>\n
Without wishing to be rude, the same could perhaps be said for the Sussex Stakes, the \u00a31m centrepiece of the entire week, which produced one of the biggest shocks in racing history as 150-1 shot Qirat (enters charts at #131) \u2013 supplemented as a pacemaker for Juddmonte star Field Of Gold \u2013 held off top-class milers who had given him too much rope up front.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
All in all, this was an unsatisfactory race, as the winner had finished 27th out of 30 in the Royal Hunt Cup (a handicap at Royal Ascot) on his previous start.<\/p>\n
Sure, Qirat likes Goodwood but it would have taken some unnatural powers of clairvoyance to foresee this outcome. Anyway, Qirat held off Rosallion (#53 from #95, +103pt) by a neck \u2013 the runner-up\u2019s jockey Sean Levey admitted culpability, but he was far from alone is sitting too far back. Odds-on favourite Field Of Gold (#11 from #7, -92pt) finished lame.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did his job \u2013 we set out to go 12-second furlongs and he did that,\u201d said winning trainer Ralph Beckett. \u201cHe was working so well and he loves this place. Richard [Kingscote] has always been a tremendous judge of the clock.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Arc-winning trainer added: \u201cHe\u2019s a Goodwood specialist. I\u2019m absolutely thrilled to bits. I\u2019m sorry it didn\u2019t work out for Field Of Gold but it\u2019s a horse race and anything can happen.\u201d<\/p>\n
You can say that again.<\/p>\n
In contrast, the other two G1 events at Goodwood resulted in more predictable outcomes with world #1 trainer Aidan O\u2019Brien \u2013 251 weeks at the summit now altogether \u2013 claiming both.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Leading St Leger contender Scandinavia (#42 from #198, +42pt) outbattled year-older stablemate Illinois to win the Goodwood Cup, while top filly Whirl (#20 from #66, +144pt) drew away for a five-length victory in the Nassau.<\/p>\n
Mind you, as good as the winner is, this wasn\u2019t an entirely satisfactory race, either. The ground went heavy after all the rain, and moreover there was a rare flag start for a G1 event as the stalls were out of bounds amid potential thunderstorms.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of us fancied sitting in a giant toaster while lightning was flashing,\u201d suggested leading rider Tom Marquand, who was riding in other races on the card. Half the field duly missed the break.<\/p>\n
Be that as it may, Whirl\u2019s fondness for give in the ground would make her a legitimate contender in an open-looking Arc. She is 8-1 second favourite in ante-post lists behind King George runner-up Kalpana.<\/p>\n
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