Photo:

Kat Turnbull / Eclipse Sportswire

Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Sierra Leone will race as a 4-year-old.

The decision to keep Sierra Leone in training was announced on an X post by Coolmore America, one of Sierra Leone’s owners. They plan to give Sierra Leone time off at Coolmore’s Ashford Stud farm and have not set a definite comeback race for the horse. This decision previously was reported by Byron King of BloodHorse.

One of the leading 3-year-olds of 2024, Sierra Leone was the second betting favorite in the Kentucky Derby after victories in the Risen Star (G2) and Blue Grass (G1). The Chad Brown trainee missed by a nose in the run for the roses. He continued to hit the board in major races through the summer, finishing third behind Dornoch in the Belmont Stakes, second in the Jim Dandy (G2) behind Fierceness and third in the Travers (G1) behind that same foe.

Sierra Leone got another round against Fierceness in the Breeders’ Cup Classic on Saturday. That time, he turned the tables. He confronted Fierceness in upper stretch, and though Fierceness battled on, Sierra Leone ran on best to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Fierceness.

Mike Repole, owner-breeder of Fierceness, announced Sunday via a post on X that his star 3-year-old will remain in training and race as a 4-year-old, with the long-term goal of the Breeders’ Cup Classic.