Sierra Leone wins $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic after suffering close loss in Kentucky Derby

DEL MAR, Calif. -- Sierra Leone won nan $7 cardinal Breeders' Cup Classic by 1 1/2 lengths Saturday astatine Del Mar, ending a frustrating tally of caller losses, including nan Kentucky Derby.

Ridden by Flavien Prat, Sierra Leone ran 1 1/4 miles successful 2:00.78. Sent disconnected arsenic nan 6-1 4th choice, nan 3-year-old colt paid $15.80, $5.60 and $3.60 successful his first title aft a two-month layoff.

“I’m truthful happy for nan equine because he’s travel up short a fewer times,” trainer Chad Brown said. “I thought he had immoderate excuses, but he’s been truthful accordant and he’s specified an honorable horse, 1 of nan champion that I’ve ever had.”

Sierra Leone mislaid by a chemoreceptor to Mystik Dan successful nan Kentucky Derby and past vanished 3rd successful nan Belmont Stakes astatine Saratoga. That's wherever he was 2nd successful nan Jim Dandy and 3rd successful nan Travers.

“He took a reliable hit successful nan Derby, but we did it pinch people and respect, and we conscionable went backmost to nan drafting committee and worked connected getting him straight,” Brown said. “He's a awesome horse, he took to this way and it was his time today.”

Brown has 19 Cup wins, leaving him 1 short of profession starring trainers Aidan O'Brien, who won 2 races Friday, and D. Wayne Lukas.

It was Brown's first triumph successful nan Classic connected his 4th try. His mentor, nan precocious Hall of Fame trainer Bobby Frankel, won nan Classic successful 2004 pinch Ghostzapper.

“At moments for illustration this, I ever deliberation astir him,” Brown said.

Fierceness, nan 5-2 favorite, returned $4.40 and $3.20. Forever Young of Japan was different 2 3/4 lengths backmost successful 3rd and paid $3.60 to show. Newgate, trained by Bob Baffert, was 4th successful nan afloat section of 14.

Ireland-based City of Troy, nan 4-1 3rd prime pinch six wins successful 7 profession starts connected grass, vanished eighth successful his first commencement connected ungraded for O'Brien.

“He mislaid it astatine nan commencement and evidently I didn’t person him prepared to travel retired speedy enough. We thought we did but we didn’t," O'Brien said. “He missed it and near Ryan (Moore) pinch nary chance really, nan title was complete astatine nan start.”

Prat made back-to-back trips to nan winner's circle, taking nan $2 cardinal Filly & Mare Turf aboard Moira for his 50th graded stakes triumph of nan year.

In nan $2 cardinal Distaff, Thorpedo Anna won by 2 1/2 lengths, helping trainer Ken McPeek threat an 0-for-37 skid successful nan Breeders’ Cup.

She ran 1 1/8 miles successful 1:49.10 nether jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. Sent disconnected arsenic nan 2-5 favorite, she paid $2.80 — nan second-shortest triumph payout successful Breeders’ Cup history.

“The anticipation pinch her is truthful high,” McPeek said. “I emotion nan truth that Brian took nan inaugural and conscionable sewage it done. For me, it was workmanlike and that's what you need.”

Hernandez and McPeek teamed to triumph nan Kentucky Derby by a chemoreceptor successful May.

The triumph connected a sunny and cool time astatine nan oceanside way northbound of San Diego capped a sensational play for Thorpedo Anna. She besides won nan Kentucky Oaks and finished a adjacent second to Fierceness successful nan Travers. She's successful nan speech for Horse of nan Year honors.

In nan $5 cardinal Turf, 9-5 favourite Rebel's Romance held disconnected late-closing 22-1 changeable Rousham Park to triumph by a neck, nan ninth European equine to do truthful successful nan past 10 runnings.

Rebel's Romance ran 1 1/2 miles successful 2:26.07 nether jockey William Buick and paid $5.80 to win. The 6-year-old gelding has been a globetrotter, winning successful Qatar, Dubai, Hong Kong, Britain, Germany and nan U.S. for trainer Charlie Appleby.

Another horse, 3-year-old France-bred Jayarebe, collapsed connected nan way aft finishing seventh successful nan Turf and died.

“It was suspected to beryllium a cardiac event,” said Dr. Al Ruggles, nan on-call veterinarian.

In different races:

— U.S.-based More Than Looks rallied to hit nan mostly European section by three-quarters of a magnitude successful nan $2 cardinal Mile. He ran nan region connected writer successful 1:32.65 nether jockey Jose Ortiz. The 6-1 changeable paid $15.80. Cherie Devaux became nan seventh female trainer to triumph a Cup race. Notable Speech, nan 2-1 favorite, vanished third.

— Straight No Chaser rallied to triumph nan $2 cardinal Sprint by a half-length . John Velazquez, nan 53-year-old Hall of Fame jockey, won his 21st Cup race; trainer Dan Blacker won his first. The 6-1 changeable paid $14.20 to win. Straight No Chase ran six furlongs successful 1:08.62. Mullikan, nan 3-1 favorite, was third.

— Argentina-bred Full Serrano scored a 13-1 upset successful nan $1 cardinal Dirt Mile. Ridden by Joel Rosario, he ran nan region successful 1:35.48 and paid $28.80 to win. Domestic Product, nan 3-1 favorite, was third.

— Moira is headed to nan income ringing adjacent week aft her half-length triumph successful nan Filly & Mare Turf. It was nan Canada-bred's 3rd quality successful nan Breeders' Cup and first win. She paid $13.60 to triumph astatine 5-1 odds. Trainer Kevin Attard earned his first Cup win, too. Cinderella's Dream, nan 5-2 favorite, was second.

— Soul of an Angel spotted nan section 12 lengths earlier rallying connected nan acold extracurricular to triumph nan $1 cardinal Filly & Mare Sprint by a half-length. The 19-1 changeable paid $41.60 to win. She ran 7 furlongs successful 1:21.59 nether jockey Drayden Van Dyke. Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. earned his first Cup victory.

— Starlust scored a immense upset successful nan $1 cardinal Turf Sprint aft a agelong hold astatine nan commencement and a declare of foul. Ridden by Rossa Ryan, 30-1 changeable Starlust ran 5 furlongs successful 55.92 seconds and paid $69.20. Starlust won by a cervix complete Motorius. Believing flipped successful nan gross and dumped jockey Ryan Moore, who walked distant unharmed. She was scratched from nan race, but appeared unharmed. Jockey Manny Franco aboard Isivunguvungu claimed foul against Ryan and Starlust, but aft a stewards' reappraisal location was nary alteration to nan bid of finish.

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AP equine racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing