Though Peter Brant, one of many co-owners of Longines Breeders’ Cup Traditional winner Sierra Leone, expressed his need throughout a Nov. 2 post-race information convention to see him run subsequent yr at age 4, the possession group can be contemplating the choice of standing him at stud in 2025.
Co-owner Brook Smith, talking to reporters on the Del Mar backstretch Nov. 3, the day after the Traditional, stated the companions within the 3-year-old colt, which incorporates him, Brant, and Coolmore Stud-affiliated homeowners, had a dialog about Sierra’s Leone’s future on Saturday after the race.
“I’m the man that does the listening and the nodding as a result of why would I open my mouth given the historical past of these guys?” he stated in a nod to his companions, who’re extra skilled in racing and breeding and extra in tune with the worth of a possible stallion. “And I don’t assume it’s been determined but.
“I imply, the logical factor from a breeding perspective – not logical, however the simple resolution – is OK, let’s go to the (breeding) shed, however it’s undoubtedly price having a dialog about as a result of he’s sound, knock on wooden, and he seems like he’s simply now type of maturing, coming into his personal. So he may very simply type of observe the trail of his daddy.”
His sire is none aside from Gun Runner, the second-leading sire in North America, who, after a promising 3-year-old marketing campaign in 2016, through which he received the Clark Handicap and different races, had an much more rewarding marketing campaign at age 4. That yr in 2017, he received 4 Grade 1s, topped by the Breeders’ Cup Traditional en path to Horse of the 12 months honors.
He additionally made one begin as a 5-year-old, successful the $16.3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational Stakes in January 2018, simply earlier than the beginning of the breeding season.
The Pegasus stays an choice for potential stallions, even at the moment, via its purse of $3 million is down sharply from the times of a slot-boosting format that led to huge purses for its first couple of years.
Racing additional into the winter and spring gives choices such because the $20 million Saudi Cup and the $12 million Dubai World Cup Sponsored by Emirates Airline within the Center East in the course of the winter and early spring.
To compete within the latter two races, nonetheless, would require forgoing the 2025 breeding season with a extremely helpful horse. Sierra Leone is deemed as the complete package deal. Moreover being by Gun Runner, the Debby Oxley-bred colt is out of the Grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love.
His seems, pedigree, and racing potential are why his homeowners went to $2.3 million to purchase him from Fasig-Tipton’s The Saratoga Sale in 2022.
Sierra Leone’s homeowners at the moment have been betting on him creating right into a stallion – and along with his achievements, that can in some unspecified time in the future change into a actuality. His worth now far exceeds his preliminary eye-catching value.
Coolmore’s American stallions stand at Ashford Stud in Central Kentucky.
Requested if the companions had set a timeline for the choice, Smith didn’t give a selected reply, saying, “I believe that everyone will soak this factor in.”
Neither coach Chad Brown nor any of the opposite homeowners in addition to Smith have been at Del Mar when Smith spoke to the media throughout a delegated time for day-after pictures and press entry.
“Every part’s all good,” assistant coach Baldo Hernandez stated Sunday morning. “He’ll ship tomorrow to Kentucky and possibly Florida after that. I don’t know for positive; it’s as much as the boss.”
Smith stated the Bottom Studying Middle earned $58,000 from his share in Sierra Leone’s earnings via the Purses for Function program through which he participates. Smith donates 10% of his secure’s earnings to the BLC. He additionally stated he has a “ticket price $30,000” he plans to offer to the award-winning non-profit.
Fierceness To Keep In Coaching
As introduced final month, Coolmore has secured the breeding rights to Breeders’ Cup Traditional runner-up Fierceness, having entered right into a take care of proprietor Mike Repole of Repole Secure after the colt received the 2023 FanDuel Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Offered by TAA.
Repole indicated in a put up on X that he was staying in with a big share in Fierceness’ breeding rights. The settlement features a provision for Fierceness to probably run again as a 4-year-old.
In a put up on X on Sunday, Repole acknowledged he certainly plans to maintain Fierceness in coaching for 2025.
“The good information is, I’ve made the choice to carry again Fierceness subsequent yr with the objective of being the very best 4-year-old on the planet! The last word objective for Fierceness is to come back again to Del Mar and care for some unfinished enterprise and win the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Traditional,” Repole acknowledged on the social media platform.
Coolmore will obtain 50% of Fierceness’s racing rights for a 4-year-old marketing campaign, Repole posted.
“He got here out of the race very nicely,” Corridor of Fame coach Todd Pletcher informed Breeders’ Cup publicity on Sunday. “Appears good this morning. He’s going to go to Kentucky tomorrow and goes to get an entire bodily. At the moment, the plan could be for him to go on to Palm Seaside Downs from there and put together for a 4-year-old marketing campaign.”
