Sierra Leone Tops Red-Hot Renewal of Jockey Club Gold Cup

[Wandering Eyes]

Just how deep is Sunday's running of the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup at Saratoga, a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for the GI Breeders' Cup Classic in a little more than two months' time?

Well, six of the eight remaining horses–GII Charles Town Classic winner Banishing (Ghostzapper) will be scratched–have recorded at least one Beyer Speed Figure of 104 or higher this year and three of the entrants are already Grade I winners this term. It is the very definition of a hot race.

The field is led by 'TDN Rising Star' Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), whose 4-year-old campaign hasn't been exactly straight-forward, but it appears all systems are go for the Gold Cup. After toying with the idea of chasing the 8-figure pots in the Middle East over the winter, a niggling foot issue dictated that last year's Classic winner and champion 3-year-old male returned in the GII New Orleans Classic in late March, where he was a ring-rusty third to loose-on-the-lead Touchuponastar (Star Guitar). A sound runner-up to fellow 'Rising Star' Mindframe (Constitution) in the GI Stephen Foster Stakes June 28, the $2.3-million Fasig-Tipton Saratoga topper benefitted from an honest pace in the GI Whitney Stakes Aug. 2, aided by pacemaker Contrary Thinking (Into Mischief), and covered his final three-eighths in a strong :36.63 to take it by a length.

Given that he's lightly raced in 2025, the Gold Cup was a logical next step for Sierra Leone as he preps for a title defense at Del Mar in November.

“He's rounding back into form, and I think we have him right back where he was last year towards the end of the year,” said trainer Chad Brown. “I didn't think he'd run enough, so one more start will do him good. He seems to like a mile and a quarter.”

Mindframe makes his first Saratoga appearance since finishing second in last year's GI Belmont Stakes after appearing to have the race in safe keeping. Well short of his best, but victorious nevertheless in the GII Gulfstream Park Mile Mar. 1, the Maryland-bred pipped the dead-heating Banishing and Pacific Classic favorite and 'Rising Star' Nysos (Nyquist) in the seven-furlong GI Churchill Downs Stakes and was better–if still a fraction green–in the Foster.

Importantly, he is a fresh horse for the Gold Cup.

“A big part of us not running Mindframe back in the Whitney was that he's coming off a couple huge efforts,” said trainer Todd Pletcher, who sent out 'TDN Rising Star' Happy Saver (Super Saver) to win the final Gold Cup held at Belmont in 2020 and Bright Future (Curlin) here in 2023. “We felt like the extra time would do him well and we wanted to get a mile-and-a-quarter race into him prior to the Breeders' Cup, so we felt like we weren't losing an opportunity on him by waiting for the Jockey Club.”

Mindframe | Sarah Andrew

Pletcher also saddles Antiquarian (Preservationist), runner-up to all-the-way winner Phileas Fogg (Astern {Aus}) in the GII Suburban Stakes over this course and distance on Independence Day.

Highland Falls (Curlin) looks to become the first repeat Gold Cup winner since Tonalist (Tapit) in 2014/2015. Disappointing when down the field in last year's Breeders' Cup, the chestnut was a good-looking allowance winner going Aqueduct's one-turn mile June 27 and also finished off his race soundly in the Whitney before settling for second.

“At the eighth pole, I thought he may win it,” said Michael Banahan, director of bloodstock for Godolphin USA. “He just got run down–run down by a Breeders' Cup Classic winner. There's no shame in that at all. That was probably one of the strongest older division races of the year. We are very proud of him.”

White Abarrio (Race Day) won this year's GI Pegasus World Cup Invitational with the same 109 Beyer achieved by Sierra Leone last time, but enters off fourth-place efforts in the GI Metropolitan Handicap June 7 and in the Whitney.

“I love him right now,” his trainer Saffie Joseph, Jr. said. “He's given us the confidence to feel that way, and I hope everything continues that way so we get to see the White Abarrio that's so good when he is.”

Only Cigar (1995), Skip Away (1997) and Curlin (2007) have completed the Jockey Club Gold Cup/Breeders' Cup Classic double since the inception of the championships back in 1984.

Del Mar Derby Looms A Battle of Italian Riders

Antonio Fresu and Umberto Rispoli were sitting second and fifth, respectively, entering Saturday's Pacific Classic program at Del Mar, and the Italian duo each look to hold a strong hand in Sunday's GII Del Mar Derby riding for Phil D'Amato.

Fresu has the call aboard the 2-1 morning-line choice Iron Man Cal (Collected), winner–via DQ–of last year's GIII Zuma Beach Stakes and just beaten in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf by Henri Matisse (Ire) (Wootton Bassett {GB}). An even fourth on seasonal return in the GI American Turf at Churchill, the bay was heavily favored in the opening-day Oceanside Stakes, but a bad stumble at the break left him behind the eight ball and a late rally couldn't quite reel in longshot Game Warrior (Game Winner).

The Padre (Ire) (Ghaiyyath {Ire}) won his maiden going 10 furlongs over the Dundalk all-weather in January and was acquired by Little Red Feather Racing. A fast-finishing second with Fresu at the controls in a one-mile Santa Anita allowance June 13, the bay had Rispoli in the irons when rallying to best Freedom's Not Free (Omaha Beach) while in receipt of four pounds from that rival in the Aug. 3 LaJolla Handicap.

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