Sierra Leone ahead of his Blue Grass (G1) victory April 6 at Keeneland (Courtney Snow/Past The Wire)
G3 Lake George or G2 Saratoga Oaks Next for Oversubscribed
Unmatched Wisdom Under Consideration for Curlin, G2 Jim Dandy
Ways and Means May Target G1 Test
NYRA Press Office
OZONE PARK, N.Y.— Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook T. Smith’s dual graded stakes-winner Sierra Leone returned to the work tab Sunday at Saratoga Race Course for the first time since his third-place effort in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.
Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Gun Runner colt won the Grade 2 Risen Star in February at Fair Grounds and Grade 1 Blue Grass in April at Keeneland en route to a narrow nose defeat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs.
Last out, in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 8 at the Spa, Sierra Leone closed from ninth-of-10 to finish third behind the more prominent one-two finishers Dornoch and Mindframe.
Sierra Leone returned to the tab Sunday with blinkers on, covering a half-mile solo over the Oklahoma dirt training track in 49.66 seconds and galloping out through the turn and into the backstretch while encouraged by the exercise rider.
“It went fine. It was his first work back and he was moving good,” Brown said.
Brown said he has yet to decide if Sierra Leone will try the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on July 27 or wait for the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 24.
“We could run in the Jim Dandy or train him up to the Travers. I’m not positive yet, but those are the options,” Brown said.
Brown teamed up with jockey Flavien Prat and owner Klaravich Stables to win three races on Saturday’s card at Belmont at the Big A, including a score in the Listed Wild Applause with Oversubscribed, along with an 11-furlong inner turf maiden tilt with Vesting and an impressive two-turn score for undefeated sophomore colt Unmatched Wisdom traveling nine-furlongs against elders.
Oversubscribed sat 19 lengths off a torrid pace set by Macanga under pressure from the Brown-trained Chantilly Road in the one-mile Wild Applause for sophomore fillies. Prat asked Oversubscribed to advance into the far turn with Macanga’s lead dwindling to 5 1/2-lengths at the stretch call over a tiring Chantilly Road.
Oversubscribed was full of run in upper stretch and took command approaching the sixteenth pole en route to a 3 1/4-length score in a final time of 1:35.59 over the inner turf. The winning effort garnered a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure.
“It set up well for her. She ran great. We’ve always thought a lot of her,” Brown said.
Brown said he will consider either the one-mile Grade 3, $175,000 Lake George on July 20 or the 1 3/16-mile Grade 2, $400,000 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Oaks Invitational for the talented bay daughter of Too Darn Hot.
“Both are on the table. I think she can run a bit further if needed,” Brown said.
Bred in Great Britain by Rabbah Bloodstock Limited, Oversubscribed, out of the group-placed Cape Cross mare Zurigha, was a $481,041 purchase at the 2021 Tattersalls October Yearling Sale.
Unmatched Wisdom, a $450,000 purchase at the 2023 OBS March Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, turned heads with a prominent 6 1/4-length maiden score over Military Road here in May traveling a one-turn mile over a muddy and sealed track.
The Cairo Prince colt, out of the Pure Prize mare Glide On By, stretched out to nine furlongs Saturday against older company and won by 5 3/4-lengths under a hand ride.
“He jumped well out of the gate and got us into a good position going into the first turn,” Prat said. “He switched off nicely as he did first time out and then he was waiting for my calls. He’s a very smart individual and as of right now – very straightforward.”
Brown said he was impressed with the effort and that Unmatched Wisdom could come under consideration for the Spa’s restricted $135,000 Curlin on July 19 or the Jim Dandy.
“He ran great. He’s a horse we’ve always thought a lot of,” Brown said. “He got really sick as a 2-year-old, but he’s come back well. He’s promising for sure.”
Klaravich Stables’ Ways and Means was an impressive 8 1/4-length allowance winner against older company on June 6 at Saratoga when traveling one-mile out of the Wilson Chute. The sparkling score garnered a career-best 104 Beyer Speed Figure.
The sophomore daughter of Practical Joke overcame a troubled trip to run second in the Grade 1 Spinaway last summer at the Spa and was a game second in the Grade 2 Gulfstream Park Oaks traveling 1 1/16-miles in March in her seasonal debut. She prompted the pace in the Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks over sloppy and sealed footing in May at Churchill Downs before landing fourth, 10 1/2-lengths back of the victorious Thorpedo Anna.
Ways and Means worked a half-mile in 49.82 Friday over the Spa main track and could be looking longer term for a start in the Grade 1, $500,000 Test presented by Ticketmaster of August 3.
“She’s a really nice filly and she’s back on track now. We’ll probably keep her around one turn,” Brown said.
Ways and Means has banked $294,500 through a 5-2-2-0 record.
