Sierra Leone Leads Busy Breeders’ Cup Worktab

Dozens of horses preparing for Oct. 31-Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup at Del Mar breezed across the country on Oct. 25, including 2024 Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone .

Sierra Leone, bidding to become only the second Breeders’ Cup Classic repeat winner after Tiznow ‘s consecutive victories in 2000-01, worked a half-mile Saturday over the Oklahoma Training Track at Saratoga Race Course in :48.74 with a stablemate, the maiden Duration . Clockers timed the Chad Brown trainee galloping out with energy.

Peter Brant’s Contrary Thinking , who has served as a “rabbit,” or pacemaker, for Sierra Leone in his last two starts, also breezed, clocking a half-mile at Belmont Park over the training track there in :49.77 for Brown. He also has been pre-entered in the Nov. 1 Classic. If he is made a final entry on Oct. 27, his participation could depend on whether California stewards enforce California Horse Racing Board Rule 1692, which states in part that each horse starting must be “entered with the intention to win.”

Brown also breezed Amo Racing’s Hill Road and Klaravich Stables’ Redistricting at Belmont Park toward starts in the Nov. 1 Breeders’ Cup Turf (G1T). They were timed in :49.66, and :50.50, respectively. Official clockers in New York and Florida time horses in hundredths of a second, compared to their counterparts across the country, who time in fifths of a second.

Sierra Leone, a 4-year-old son of Gun Runner owned by Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg and Brook Smith, is one of up to 10 horses expected to be entered on Monday morning for the Classic before post positions are drawn in the afternoon. The two horses immediately behind him in last year’s Classic, runner-up Fierceness and third-place Forever Young, are also expected back for return appearances—though none of the three is the anticipated favorite. Godolphin’s Kentucky Derby (G1), Belmont Stakes (G1) and Travers Stakes (G1) winner Sovereignty is the likely public choice.

The latter, already on site at Del Mar, had a spirited gallop Saturday for trainer Bill Mott.

Ward Top Guns Post Final Breeders’ Cup Works on Keeneland Turf

Wesley Ward heads to Del Mar with a pair of highly regarded youngsters in Schwarzenegger and Outfielder for the Oct. 31 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1T), respectively. The 2-year-old colts turned in their final breezes ahead of the World Championships Saturday morning on the Keeneland turf course.

Impressive Indian Summer Stakes winner Schwarzenegger was the first of the brigade of Ward turf workers, clocking a half-mile in :52 1/5 under jockey Walter Rodriguez, who often exercises horses for Ward. A $950,000 yearling purchase from The Saratoga Sale at Fasig-Tipton last summer, Schwarzenegger ran second on debut at Saratoga Race Course before cruising to a gate-to-wire score in Keeneland’s Indian Summer Stakes Oct. 5. The Not This Time colt stopped the timer in a stakes record time of 1:02.28 for the 5 1/2 furlongs on the turf.

Ward said that the cones set well out in the turf course, meant to preserve the most used portion of the course from divots, times weren’t a huge concern for him with the morning’s breezes.

“I’m really looking to see how they’re moving,” Ward said. “And (Schwarzenegger) went good. Today (Walter) kind of gave him his head and he went effortlessly and fluidly down the lane, which was nice to see.”

Ward will be chasing his fourth Juvenile Turf Sprint win with Schwarzenegger. Outfielder, also pre-entered in the race, has first preference in the one-mile Juvenile Turf.

Outfielder, part-owned by Ward with Amo Racing and Jayson Werth, scratched out of Saturday’s $200,000 Bowman Mill Stakes in favor of a Breeders’ Cup bid. The $850,000 son of Speightstown breezed five furlongs in company over the turf with 3-year-old Monterey Bay in 1:00 2/5. Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the rider of Outfielder in his two United States races, was aboard for the work.

“I told Johnny, ‘Look, he’s kind of a lazy horse (in the mornings),'” Ward said. “He’s a big kind of colt. You wouldn’t notice that in his races because with all of the other horses, he gets fired up in the gate and comes out of there running. But in the mornings, he’s a real easy-going guy. I wanted to get him behind another horse (Monterey Bay) and start that horse in front so he’d have something to look at. He kind of ran down a very good 3-year-old colt today that I have for one of the undercard races on Breeders’ Cup day. He worked really good. I was very happy with him.”

Schwarzenegger graduated in dominating fashion in a five-furlong turf maiden special weight at Churchill Downs in May before venturing overseas for the Prix Morny (G1) in France. Fourth in the 1,200-meter (about 6-furlongs) Prix Morny, he returned stateside to capture his dirt debut by two lengths in a Keeneland allowance contest Oct. 4. He has never raced beyond six furlongs in his three-start career.

“We’re going to stretch him out to a mile (for the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf),” Ward said. “Of the two I have, I felt Schwarzenegger was my best chance going five-eighths. He’s very fast and of course, (at Del Mar) the turf plays fast.”

Both colts, in addition to recent Nearctic Stakes (G2T) victor No Nay Hudson , who breezed five furlongs in 1:02 4/5 on the turf course, will depart for Del Mar on Monday. Fourth on the alternate list, No Nay Hudson will ship to California on the outside looking in for a spot in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint (G1T).

The following pre-entered horses breezed Saturday. It will be updated as additional workout times are reported to Equibase.

Horse	Track	Distance	Time	Division
Bear River	Churchill Downs	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:48 1/5	Turf Sprint
Clicquot	Churchill Downs	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:48	Sprint
Comport	Churchill Downs	5F (Dirt-Fast)	1:00 1/5	Sprint
Contrary Thinking	Belmont Training Track	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:49.77*	Classic
Formidable Man	Del Mar	5F (Dirt-Fast)	1:00 1/5	Mile
Hill Road	Belmont Training Track	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:49.66*	Turf
Let’s Be Frank	Churchill Downs	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:49 4/5	Juvenile Turf
Lovesick Blues	Santa Anita Park	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:49 4/5	Sprint
No Nay Hudson	Keeneland	5F (Turf-Firm)	1:02 4/5	Turf Sprint
Outfielder	Keeneland	5F (Turf-Firm)	1:00 2/5	Juvenile Turf
Redistricting	Belmont Training Track	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:50.50*	Turf
Sierra Leone	Saratoga Training Track	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:48.74*	Classic
Schwarzenegger	Keeneland	4F (Turf-Firm)	:52 1/5	Juvenile Turf Sprint
Stellify	Churchill Downs	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:49 1/5	Filly & Mare Turf
Sweet Azteca	Del Mar	5F (Dirt-Fast)	:59 4/5	Filly & Mare Sprint
Touch of Destiny	Del Mar	5F (Dirt-Fast)	:59 1/5	Dirt Mile
Tumbarumba	Churchill Downs	5F (Dirt-Fast)	:59 1/5	Dirt Mile
Yellow Card	Del Mar	4F (Dirt-Fast)	:48 1/5	Turf Sprint