9 minute read
Winning when it matters
Sierra Leone avenged previous defeats by p;d rival Fierceness in the Breeders' Cup Classic
FOR MUCH OF HIS CAREER, at least on the biggest of days, Sierra Leone has been a “nearly” horse. A winner and a close second in the Remsen Stakes (G2) in his only two starts at two, he started this year in promising fashion with wins in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) and Blue Grass Stakes (G1).
He was then second beaten a nose in the Kentucky Derby (G1), third in the Belmont Stakes (G1), second beaten a length in the Jim Dandy Stakes (G2) and third in the Travers Stakes (G1).
In most of those races, and despite various changes of equipment, Sierra Leone failed to keep a straight course.
The big difference in the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) was that there was a ferocious pace at the head of affairs. The Japanese horse Derma Sotogate blazed through an opening half mile in 44.96s, only half a second slower than the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1).
More crucially that pace was closely attended by the favoured American runner Fierceness, while Sierra Leone – always an off-the-pace runner and here back in tenth, a full two seconds slower than Fierceness.
Fierceness fought back with remarkable determination when caught, but in the end his early efforts took their toll and he lost out by a length. The Japanese runner Forever Young, a nose behind Sierra Leone in the Kentucky Derby (G1), came through for third here, too.
Sierra Leone is from the third crop of Gun Runner, a son of Candy Ride, who earned Horse of the Year honours at four winning a Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) on his final start that year.
Retired to Three Chimneys Farm after taking the Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) in his sole outing at five, Gun Runner kicked off with an exceptional first-crop that provided 18 individual stakes winners, 12 graded, and six Grade 1.
The total from his first three crops is currently at 33 stakes winners, 24 graded, among them, in addition to Sierra Leone, the champion two-year-old filly Echo Zulu, the Preakness Stakes (G1) winner Early Voting, and other Grade 1 scorers Taiba, Gunite, Society, Cyberknife, Vahva, Gun Pilot and Locked.
Sierra Leone realised $2,300,000 as a Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling and, as one might anticipate from that price, the distaff side of his pedigree is no less impressive than the sire’s.
He is the second foal of Heavenly Love, who earned Grade 1 honours in style, taking the Alcibiades Stakes (G1) by over 5l.
By Malibu Moon out of the Deputy Minister mare Darling My Darling, Heavenly Love was very closely related to the Santa Ynez Stakes (G2) scorer Forever Darling, who was by Congrats (like Malibu Moon, a son of A.P. Indy out of a Mr. Prospector mare), out of the same mare.
Darling My Darling was a talented runner – a daughter of Deputy Minister, she won the Raven Run Stakes and Doubledogdare Stakes, and took second in the Frizette Stakes (G1) and Matron Stakes (G1).
Sierra Leone’s third dam Roamin Rachel earned the distinction of being the only northern-hemisphere Grade 1 winner by her sire, the Mr. Prospector horse Mining, with a victory in the Ballerina Stakes (G1), one the three graded triumphs in her career.
She produced another really good performer in the Sunday Silence son Zenno Rob Roy, a Horse of the Year, a champion in Japan and winner of the Japan Cup (G1).
Another Roamin Rachel offspring was Stray Cat, the dam of four stakes winners, three graded in Japan.
Sierra Leone is bred on a very effective nick – he’s is one of four graded stakes winners from just nine starters for the sire out of mares by Malibu Moon, the others including the Grade 1 winner Locked.
Despite Sierra Leone’s victory, it’s likely that Fierceness – last year’s champion twoyear-old colt – will end up as the champion three-year-old colt, too, having defeated Sierra Leone when capturing the Jim Dandy Stakes (G3) and Travers Stakes (G1), and having won the Florida Derby (G1) earlier in the year.
Thorpedo sinks the opposition
There are no doubts at all as to the identity of the champion three-year-old filly –Thorpedo Anna controlled the Breeders’ Cup Distaff (G1) from start to finish to register her eighth victory in ten starts.
Her other wins include the Fantasy Stakes (G2), the Kentucky Oaks (G1), the Acorn Stakes (G1), the Coaching Club American Oaks (G1) and the Cotillion Stakes (G1).
Her only defeats are a second in the Golden Rod Stakes (G2) on her black-type debut at two, and a strong finishing second to Fierceness beaten just a head in the Travers Stakes (G1) with Sierra Leone back in third.
Thorpedo Anna is named after a pair of swimmers. One was Australian superstar, Ian Thorpe, nicknamed “Thorpedo”, and the other owner’s granddaughter, Anna Thorp, a competitive swimmer at the Sacred Heart Academy, Louisiville.
The champion elect is from the fifth and final crop of Fast Anna, who died from the complications of laminitis in February 2021.
A son of Medaglia D’Oro out of the champion two-year-old filly Dreaming of Anna, Fast Anna was a sprinter rather than a Classicist.
Successful in three of nine starts, Fast Anna never won a black-type event, but he did come within a neck of defeating The Big Beast for the King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) on Dirt.
Retired to Three Chimneys Farm, Fast Anna has been represented by 14 stakes winners from five crops, but Thorpedo Anna is his only graded scorer.
Thorpedo Anna’s dam Sataves was unraced as she was born seven weeks premature and had crushed hocks. Her dam Pacific Sky, a daughter of Stormy Atlantic, was also unraced, but she is half-sister to Balmont, winner of the Middle Park Stakes (G1) and Gimcrack Stakes (G2), and to the one-time Kentucky Derby (G1) favourite, Eskendereya (who like Pacific Sky is by a son of Storm Cat), successful in the Wood Memorial Stakes (G1) and Fountain Of Youth Stakes (G2).
Overall, Thorpedo Anna has seven crosses of Northern Dancer and one of Halo, giving her nine total crosses of her tail-female ancestor Almahmoud.
Serrano migrated to the US with victory
The Argentine-bred Full Serrano, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), had made 14 starts in his native country, but had looked no better than useful there winning five races, including a black-type event at 1m3f on the Turf, and missing by a nose in the Gran Botafogo, over the same distance and surface.
Imported to the US, he took an allowance over a mile on Dirt at Del Mar on his August 3 debut.
He followed up with a career-high when missing by just a half length after cutting out the pace in the Pacific Classic (G1) back at 1m2f. A temperature ruled him out of a prep for the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), which is why he dropped back in distance to the Mile.
Full Serrano was always close at hand and, after stalking the early pace, he took over at the head of the stretch, and from there was never seriously threatened.
Full Serrano is by Full Mast, a Mizzen Mast son who won the Prix JeanLuc Lagardere (G1) for owner-breeder Juddmonte Farms.
Standing in Argentina, Full Mast has sired 11 stakes winners, six graded, also including the champion two-year-old filly Tan Gritona, and other Grade 1 winners Full Keis and Guistino.
He is out of the unraced Jump Start mare Serra Do Mar, a sister to the champion Argentine two-year-old filly Seresta, subsequently dam of Harper, a graded stakes winner in Japan, and runner-up in the Yushin Himba (G1), and of stakes winner Valle De Al Luna.
Full Serano’s grand-dam Serata was a half-sister to the Brazilan graded winner Lamparina, the dam of Brazilian Oaks (G1) scorer Brilhantissima, and ancestress of numerous high-class South American performers, including a Horse of the Year in Uruguay, a champion three-year-old filly in Brazil and the Grade 1 winner Vespaciano.
Chaser makes it the track for the Sprint win
In a less-than-vintage renewal of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), Straight No Chaser prevailed by a half length.
Although he’s a five-year-old who has been in training for three seasons, Straight No Chaser has only made 10 starts and has never run more than four times in a year.
Successful six times, he broke through in black-type company last May with a win in the Maryland Sprint Stakes (G3).
He was then away from the races for a little over a year, finishing fourth in a Grade 3 event in New York on his return this year.
His only other outing saw him prep for the Sprint with a triumph in the Santa Anita Sprint Championship (G2).
Straight No Chaser is by the deceased Speightster. A son of Speightstown from the immediately family of Smart Strike, Speightster won the first three of his four starts, including the Dwyer Stakes (G2).
He’s been a little disappointing with 13 stakes winners in his first four crops and, of these, only Straight No Chaser and the Chilukki Stakes (G3) winner Hot And Sultry, have scored in graded stakes, Staight No Chaser is his sole Grade 1 winner.
Straight No Chaser’s third dam Desireux, a daughter of Fappiano, appears as third dam of the multiple graded stakes-winning sprinter Something Extra, and granddam of Ncoloe H, whose successes included the Distaff Handicap (G2). She is dam of Gun Song, winner of this year’s Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (G2), and runner up in the Cotillion Stakes (G1) and Mother Goose Stakes (G1).
Desireux was a half-sister to Housebuster, who was unplaced in his only try in the Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1), but was voted champion sprinter of 1990 and 1991.
Their dam Big Dreams won 21 races, four in black-type events and is ancestress of 27 stakes winners, including other Grade 1 winners Bright Future, successful in last year’s Jockey Club Gold Cup (G1), the 2023 Hopeful Stakes (G1) scorer Nutella Fella, and Victor the Winner, who took the Centenary Sprint Cup (G1) in Hong Kong.
