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UPI
04-08-2025
- Sport
- UPI
Sierra Leone wins Whitney; retains leadership among older U.S. horses
1 of 4 | Sierra Leone took plenty of kickback in a last-to-first win in Saturday's Grade 1 Whitney at Saratoga. Photo by Coglianese Photography, courtesy of NYRA Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Reigning Breeders' Cup Classic champion Sierra Leone earned a repeat trip to that race with a victory in Saturday's Grade I Whitney Stakes, but still has a scramble to nail down the leadership of his division. Deterministic and Seismic Beauty also captured "Win and You're In" Breeders' Cup spots and Ewing and Mythical emerged as top 2-year-olds -- all in weekend racing. On the global front, Nicoreni defended local honor in Germany and Fallen Angel won a tough edition of the Prix Rothschild in France. Classic Saturday's $1 million Grade I Whitney at Saratoga attracted an appropriately talented field, including the last two winners of the Breeders' Cup Classic. Only one of them made much of an impression -- Sierra Leone, who rallied from the back of the nine-horse field to win with relative ease by 1 length over Highland Falls. Sierra Leone, the reigning Classic champ, earned a try for a repeat in the "Win and You're In" race. The 2024 Classic winner, White Abarrio, was a non-factor Saturday, finishing fourth. The favorite, Fierceness, had a chance to near the sixteenth pole, but then tired to finish fifth. It was the third start and first win of the year for Sierra Leone, a Gun Runner colt trained by Chad Brown for a trans-Atlantic partnership. Mindframe, who was scratched from the Whitney in favor of stablemate Fierceness, defeated Sierra Leone by 1 length in the Grade I Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs on June 28. Fierceness was last seen finishing second in the Grade I Met Mile. So the division title remains up for grabs? Brown: "It's a division that's very good. This is no walk in the park to get back into the Breeders' Cup Classic." Brad Cox, trainer of Highland Falls: "Horses beat horses. They take turns punching each other, and we'll see. I like where we are with our horse." Also: Sunday at Mountaineer, Chunk of Gold led gate to wire in the $400,000 Grade III West Virginia Derby and won by 4 1/4 lengths over McAfee. On the undercard Dubai World Cup winner Hit Show was all out to defeat Not This Boy by a head in the $200,000 West Virginia Governor's Stakes. And Saturday at Woodbine, Swift Delivery won the $150,000 (Canadian) Seagram Cup by 2 lengths over late-rallying favorite Dresden Row. Distaff Seismic Beauty took them gate to wire in Saturday's $400,000 Grade I Clement L. Hirsch Stakes at Del Mar, holding on at the end to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Kopion. Richi was third. Seismic Beauty ran 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:42.33 with Juan Hernandez up and earned a "Win and You're In" spot for the Breeders' Cup Distaff. "That wasn't an easy lead," winning trainer Bob Baffert said. "They were rolling. ... She's just getting better and better. She's still maturing, but I think she'll improve off of that." Filly & Mare Sprint Kilwin recovered from a stumbling start to win Saturday's $500,000 Grade I Test Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Saratoga. Turf World Beater was up in the final yards to beat world traveler Juwelier by 1/2 length in Saturday's $750,000 Grade I Saratoga Derby Invitational and The Padre took Sunday's $100,000 La Jolla Handicap for 3-year-olds at Del Mar by 1/2 length. Stanley House dominated 10 rivals in Saturday's $120,000 (Canadian) Niagara Stakes at Woodbine; and at Ellis Park, Tomasello won Saturday's $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Nashville Derby and Highway Robber took Sunday's $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Cup. Filly & Mare Turf Destino d'Oro stalked the pace in Sunday's $400,000 Grade III Pucker Up Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at Ellis Park, breezed by the early speed and ran on to win the former Arlington Park fixture by 3 3/4 lengths. Turf Mile Deterministic was determined, indeed, in the late going of Saturday's $750,000 Grade I FanDuel Fourstardave at Saratoga. Rallying three-wide, the 4-year-old Liam's Map colt surged by early leader My Boy Prince to take the lead, and then held off a late bid by Intellect to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Deterministic, with Kendrick Carmouche up for Miguel Clement, ran 1 mile on firm turf in 1:33.87 and earned a "Win and You're In" spot in the FanDuel Breeders' Cup Mile on the Del Mar grass. Luther, a European import trained by Charlie Fellowes, was awarded the win in Friday's $400,000 Grade II National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame Stakes for 3-year-olds at Saratoga as first-to-finish Zulu Kingdom was set down to fourth for interference into the first turn. Also: Layabout won Saturday's $75,000 Bear's Den Stakes for 3-year-olds at Gulfstream Park, Beach Gold won Saturday's $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Mint Millions Turf Mile at Ellis Park and Simply In Front won Sunday's $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Mile, also at Ellis. Turf Sprint Bring Theband Home won Sunday's $300,000 Grade II Troy Stakes at Saratoga, opened a big lead and coasted in first by 1 1/2 lengths as the odds-on favorite; at Ellis Park. Pondering won Saturday's $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Ladies Turf Sprint and Bear River copped the $250,000 Kentucky Downs Preview Turf Sprint; Love Appeals won Sunday's $100,000 Incredible Revenge Stakes for fillies and mares at Monmouth Park and Euro import Oujda captured Saturday's $125,000 (Canadian) Sweet Briar Two at Woodbine. Juvenile Ewing overcame an erratic start to win Saturday's $200,000 Grade II Saratoga Special by 1 length over Obliteration. Both came into the race undefeated and with high expectations. On Saturday at Monmouth Park, Hey Nay Nay ran a-way-way with the $100,000 Tyro Stakes, leading all the way to a 7-length score as the odds-on favorite. The Irish-bred No Nay Never colt improved to 2-for-2 after winning his career opener at Santa Anita on June 1 for trainer John Sadler. Juvenile Fillies Mythical, the odds-on favorite, proved herself the real thing with a 3 1/4-length victory in Sunday's $175,000 Adirondack at Saratoga. She remains undefeated after three starts, also including the Tremont Stakes, over colts, earlier in the Spa meeting. Around the world, around the clock France Fallen Angel basically had to win Sunday's Group 1 Prix Rothschild at Deauville twice. The 4-year-old Too Darn Hot filly first looked like edging clear to victory inside the 200-meter standard only to find the favorite, January, rallying to put a head in front. With Danny Tudhope urging her on, Fallen Angel rose to the challenge, rallying to regain the lead and win by a head over January. Start of Day finished third, another 1 1/2 lengths back. Germany Nicoreni burst through between rivals midway through the stretch run in Sunday's Group 1 Henkel-Preis der Diana or German Oaks, drifted left for a few strides, but ran on to win by 1/2 length in a cluster of relative long shots. The high-profile invaders, Coolmore's Garden of Eden and Godolphin's Spirited Style, rattled home ninth and 10th, respectively.
Yahoo
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
'This Guy Wants More Action': Once-Subfertile Preakness Winner Early Voting Offered For Free Foal-Share Matings In June
'This Guy Wants More Action': Once-Subfertile Preakness Winner Early Voting Offered For Free Foal-Share Matings In June originally appeared on Paulick Report. Dr. Padraig (Paddy) O'Casaigh, stallion expert and manager of the Early Voting Consortium, announced today that June was "free foal share month" for Preakness Stakes winner Early Voting, a son of leading sire Gun Runner. O'Casaigh said that in his 40 years of international stallion reproduction work, he has never seen a more fertile horse. "Man, I have seen a few of these guys over the years, but nothing as Fertile as Early Voting," he said. Early Voting had already got 90 percent of his mares in foal by the end of May, why waste June?" O'Casaigh said the connections of Early Voting have agreed to breed mares for free on a foal share basis, as long as they are pedigree qualified. Early Voting stands at Taylor Made Stallions in Nicholasville, Ky. Advertisement Related: Nearly-Extinct Bird Helps Save Stud Career Of Preakness Winner Early Voting "Mate, this guy wants more action, as we say at home," O'Casaigh said. O'Casaigh leaves for his native home, New Zealand, on June 10 to secure a Southern Hemisphere career for his classic-winning stallion. Recognized as one of the most respected equine veterinarians internationally, O'Casaigh is confident that the current fertile performance of Early Voting will be attractive to Southern Hemisphere breeders, particularly as he will be the first stallion in that part of the world representing the Gun Runner/Tiznow/ Silken Cat/Speightstown bloodlines . "With changing surfaces, recognition of his champion mare line on turf, and the top prices his progeny are getting is rapidly growing," O'Casaigh said. "This lovely stallion will be all the rage Down Under. With his pedigree, performance and prolific fertility, the consortium is nearly as excited as he is at 7 a.m. every morning." This story was originally reported by Paulick Report on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
