Horse Profile: Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone has never run a poor race, finishing in the money in all 11 career starts. This late-running son of 2017 Whitney winner Gun Runner showed heaps of early promise, scoring on debut at Aqueduct before winning the Risen Star (G2) and Blue Grass (G1). He came heartbreakingly close to a Kentucky Derby (G1) victory, losing out in a three-way photo by a nose. He came up short again in the Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers (G1) at Saratoga, finishing third in both. Sierra Leone's signature win came in the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), besting favored Fierceness to win by 1 ½ lengths. His most recent effort was a 1-length defeat to Mindframe in the Stephen Foster (G1).