Sierra Leone shines in the Whitney and takes a decisive step toward Ashford’s stallion barn

On Saturday, August 2nd, in the 98th running of the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) once again showcased the power of his sustained late run.

Last after the first 5 furlongs of the race, Sierra Leone traveled comfortably while Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief) fulfilled his role as “pace-maker”, setting testing splits of 23.82 for the first 2 furlongs and 47.07 for the first 4. As the leaders collapsed after completing 6 furlongs in 1:11.59, the favorite Fierceness (City of Light), forced to move too early, lost momentum 1½ furlongs from the wire. Sierra Leone swung out to the six path, covered the final 3 furlongs in 34.40 and stopped the clock in 1:48.92 for the 9-furlong distance over a fast track, defeating Highland Falls (Curlin) by one length. The card posted a record handle of U$S 49,651,341 and gave Chad C. Brown his first Whitney victory, along with a new “Win & You’re In” ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Classic via the Challenge Series.

Bred in Lexington, Kentucky by Debby and John Oxley, Sierra Leone was consigned by Gainesway at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearling Sale. His flawless conformation and a pedigree blending the rising line of Gun Runner (Candy Ride) with the precocious G1-winning mare Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon) triggered aggressive bidding, ultimately selling for U$S 2,300,000 — a record price for that year’s sale. The winning bid came from the partnership of White Birch Farm (Peter Brant) and Michael Vincent Magnier, son of Coolmore principal John Magnier. “He’s a magnificent colt, by an emerging sire and out of a G1-winning filly at 2; everything added up to make the perfect horse,” said Brian Graves (Gainesway) after the auction, anticipating massive future value if the colt succeeded in stakes company. Indeed, Sierra Leone has since fulfilled that promise, and the strategic planning from his connections has been clear: build classic prestige to set him up as the heir to his sire at Ashford Stud in Lexington, Kentucky.

Sierra Leone (Gun Runner) winning his third G1 at Saratoga, Saratoga Springs, New York.

Two weeks prior to the race, Sierra Leone breezed 4 furlongs in 48.80 on Saratoga’s main track. Chad C. Brown, multiple Eclipse Award-winning trainer, noted that Sierra Leone is perhaps “the best horse I’ve ever trained.” Even though the colt had gone winless in three previous Saratoga starts, Brown never doubted his affinity for the surface: “Looking at his numbers, I was never convinced he didn’t like this track; he just hadn’t won here yet. He’s been running against the best, in the Travers and Belmont Stakes, and posted some of his best speed figures at Saratoga.” Confident, Brown came into the Whitney with high hopes. The performance validated his expectations: biomechanically, Sierra Leone recorded his best stride length of the year, showing his late kick is lethal when he hits top form.

Video of Sierra Leone's (Gun Runner) victory in the Whitney Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.

From the outset, Sierra Leone has had an outstanding campaign, defined by his consistency at the top level. At 2, he made only two starts: a comfortable debut win and a runner-up effort behind Dornoch (Good Magic) in the Remsen Stakes (G2) in December 2023, hinting at early class. At 3, he never finished off the board in seven starts, always facing elite company. His standout victories include the Risen Star (G2) at Fair Grounds, Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, and the season finale triumph in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) against older rivals.

He was second in the Kentucky Derby (G1), narrowly defeated by Mystik Dan (Goldencents), and runner-up again in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) at Saratoga, behind Fierceness (City Of Light) and ahead of Preakness winner Seize The Grey (Arrogate). He also placed third in two marquee races: the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1), both at Saratoga.

This remarkable record earned him the 2024 Champion 3-Year-Old Male title in the United States, reflecting his generational dominance. In 2025, now a 4-year-old, Sierra Leone remained competitive though expectations were even higher: he ran third in the New Orleans Classic (G2) and second in the Stephen Foster (G1) before snapping his winless streak in the Whitney. After that, his lifetime record stood at 12: 5 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds, and $6,806,200 in earnings. Notably, he has never finished worse than third, a testament to his top-level consistency. With this latest win, he became the leading money earner among the offspring of Gun Runner (Candy Ride), surpassing even his siblings: Taiba, Gun Pilot, Echo Zulu, Gunite, Early Voting, Il Miracolo, Disarm (who was 3rd in this Whitney), Society, Vahva, Cyberknife, among others.

Beyond his flawless physique, Sierra Leone possesses a blue-blood pedigree explaining both his hefty yearling price and elite racetrack performance. On the sire’s side, he is by Gun Runner (Candy Ride), a young stallion from the Fappiano sire line, descending through Cryptoclearance → Ride The Rails → Candy Ride, who has quickly risen to the top of American breeding. Gun Runner was a brilliant racehorse, winner of six G1s (including the 2017 Whitney Stakes and 2017 Breeders’ Cup Classic), and was crowned 2017 "Horse of the Year at the Eclipse Awards".

Since retirement, Gun Runner has passed on his excellence to his progeny: in his early crops, he has already sired more than ten G1 winners. Known for speed but not limited to sprints, his average winning distance is around 7½ furlongs, and he excels at producing two-turn performers. Sierra Leone is, to date, Gun Runner’s most accomplished son.

On the dam’s side, the genetics are equally elite. His dam, Heavenly Love, is by Malibu Moon (A. P. Indy) and descends from a classic family. She won twice at 2, including the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, demonstrating both precocity and stamina over 8½ furlongs. She hails from Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister), a G1-placed mare and dam of G2 winner Forever Darling (Congrats), who in turn produced multiple G1 winner Forever Young (Real Steel) — the same colt involved in the controversial 2024 Kentucky Derby finish. These names reinforce the strength of this female line. This successful {2-b} family traces to Roamin Rachel (Mining), a G1 winner bred in Kentucky and later exported to Japan after being sold for $750,000 to Shiraoi Farm by Nobuo Tsunoda. There, she produced champion Zenno Rob Roy (Sunday Silence), a multiple G1 winner and Japan’s Horse of the Year and Champion Older Mare in 2004.

Heavenly Love (Malibu Moon), dam of Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), in the field.

Sierra Leone is the second foal from G1 winner Heavenly Love, who in 2024 produced a filly by Gun Runner, a full sister to this Coolmore sensation. The Gun Runner - Heavenly Love mating blends some of the most influential modern bloodlines: from Gun Runner come the powerful lines of paternal grandsire Candy Ride and maternal grandsire Giant’s Causeway; from Heavenly Love come the classic strength of A. P. Indy (Seattle Slew) and Deputy Minister (Vice Regent). In other words, Sierra Leone carries the prized Candy Ride – A. P. Indy nick, which has produced numerous blacktype winners in recent years: Game Winner, Taiba, Candivo, Ollie’s Candy, and Mastery, to name a few. Moreover, Gun Runner already has successful crosses involving Candy Ride – Storm Cat, and Locked is also by Gun Runner out of a Malibu Moon mare (A. P. Indy).

It’s no coincidence that this cross contains duplications of Mr. Prospector (Raise A Native) in Sierra Leone’s pedigree. Gun Runner carries a 4x4 inbreeding to Fappiano (Mr. Prospector), while Heavenly Love brings in her own 3x4 inbreeding to Mr. Prospector via her damline (Malibu Moon’s dam and Mining). This mating doesn’t create duplications between sire and dam, but features distinct “sireside only” and “damside only” inbreedings offset by one generation — namely Fappiano at 5Sx5S and Mr. Prospector at 4Dx5D. This yields an excellent genetic background with a low inbreeding coefficient.

As Michael V. Magnier said after seeing him win: “He’s a very special horse; what he did last year was amazing, and he reaffirmed it today. We’re blessed to have him.” Genetically, Sierra Leone had greatness in his blood. With a top sire, a G1-winning 2-year-old dam, and a regal pedigree, it’s no surprise he commanded $2.3 million as a yearling, and later earned several million more on the track.

After the Whitney, plans for Sierra Leone now turn toward sealing his legacy on the track before transitioning to stallion duty. Trainer Chad Brown indicated a possible run in the Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1) on August 31 at Saratoga — another “Win and You’re In” qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup — “since the horse hasn’t raced much this year and is in great shape.” Brown is confident: “I’m not afraid to run him back; if he comes out of this well, we have enough time before the Breeders’,” he said, hinting at another potential G1 win this summer. The ultimate target is, without doubt, the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on Saturday, November 1 at Del Mar, where Sierra Leone will attempt a historic feat: winning the Classic two years in a row. Only one horse in history has done that — the legendary Tiznow (Cees Tizzy), who won the 2000 and 2001 editions.

Pulling off that “double-event” would elevate Sierra Leone to the pantheon of modern greats. Beyond the track, Coolmore acquired Sierra Leone as a yearling with the clear intention of turning him into a stallion at their Ashford base in Lexington, Kentucky. Every campaign decision has been made to boost his stallion value: running in the brightest spotlights, proving durability at ages 2, 3, and 4, and winning prestigious stakes across distances and venues. So far, mission accomplished. With wins in the Breeders’ Cup Classic and now the Whitney, a race his sire Gun Runner won eight years earlier on his path to Horse of the Year, Sierra Leone has built an ideal résumé for a future stud. His pedigree blends fresh and desirable blood, Candy Ride's, with proven classic lines, making him highly attractive to breeders worldwide. It is expected that following this year’s Breeders’ Cup, Sierra Leone will retire and begin his new career in the Ashford stallion barn under Coolmore. With powerful genetics and the support of a global racing empire, he stands as one of the most promising young stallion prospects on the horizon of international breeding.