Sierra Leone wins the Blue Grass (G1) April 6 at Keeneland (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
NYRA Press Office
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y.— Sierra Leone had his final breeze toward next week’s 156th running of the Grade 1, $2 million Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets on Saturday, working five furlongs over the Oklahoma Training Track dirt at just past 7:30 a.m. in tandem with stablemate and fellow graded stakes-winning Grade 1 Kentucky Derby alum, Domestic Product.
Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown for owners Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook T. Smith, the son of Gun Runner was timed in 1:02.64. NYRA clockers had the pair in furlong splits of 12.61 and 24.84, 49.32 for a half-mile and a six-furlong gallop-out in 1:14.93. The winner of April’s Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland and February’s Grade 2 Risen Star at the Fair Grounds was inside his stablemate throughout the move, wearing a cage bit designed to prevent him from his penchant for lugging inward after running second in the Kentucky Derby by a nose to the victorious Mystik Dan.
“He looked good today,” Brown said. “It was more of a maintenance move, as we did more with him last week, but I was really pleased with him—in particular, his gallop-out. He seems to be moving really good.
“He’s accepted the bit and he travelled well into the bridle,” Brown added. “That’s all I’m really looking for. It’s not a severe or drastic change. It’s getting more attention because he lost the Derby and lugged in a bit. It’s a natural and normal equipment change for a horse who might be having some steering issues. I tried it over the winter and didn’t like it as much, as I prefer just a blinker and a left stick—and he ran great twice that way—but I think it’s time to re-examine it a bit.”
Flavien Prat will ride the three-time winner from five starts in the Belmont, which will be contested over 1 1/4-miles at Saratoga for the first time. Tyler Gaffalione was aboard for his previous three runs.
“I wanted to switch things up a little bit,” Brown explained. “Tyler has done a really good job on the horse with two wins and a nose defeat. He knows the horse well and worked out a pretty good trip in the Derby from where he was and made a lot of good decisions in there. We were just a little disappointed that we got away from our game plan from the first two races in really anticipating the horse doing that with your left hand and not waiting too long to move. It’s not a punishment situation, it’s just the second half of the year and our horse runs primarily on the East Coast at Saratoga and Flavien and Irad [Ortiz, Jr.] are my two main riders on this course.”
Brown also confirmed that Klaravich Stables’ homebred Domestic Product will skip the Belmont Stakes Racing Festival and ship to Monmouth Park for the 1 1/16-mile Listed $150,000 Pegasus on June 15, the local prep for the Grade 1, $1 million NYRA Bets Haskell traveling nine furlongs on July 20.
Later Saturday on the work tab was fellow Belmont Stakes possible Tuscan Gold, who breezed four furlongs in 48.38 on the main track at about 8:45 a.m. in company with the unraced Clever Mischief. Owned by William H. Lawrence, Walmac Farm and breeder Stonestreet Stables, the son of Medaglia d’Oro and Breeders’ Cup-placed Valadorna was fourth two weeks ago in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico over 1 3/16 miles.
“He did a little maintenance move here, as he obviously just ran a couple weeks ago,” Brown said. “He did what I asked him to do and galloped out fine. I’ll discuss it with the partners, but as of now, I’m leaning toward entering the horse. He’s looking for a mile and a quarter and he’s always given us that impression.”
