Favored Sierra Leone did not want to load in the starting gate for the April 6 Blue Grass Stakes (G1) at Keeneland, delaying the start by a couple of minutes.
But the talented colt had no reservations about racing, rallying from ninth to overhaul Just a Touch late in the stretch to win the $995,782 Blue Grass by 1 1/2 lengths. Longshot Epic Ride finished third, 2 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up and 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Dornoch , the race's second-favorite.
Mugatu finished fifth at odds of 181-1.
Watch: Brown, Gaffalione Savor Sierra Leone's Blue Grass Win
Sierra Leone, a Gun Runner colt, will now be pointed to the May 4 Kentucky Derby (G1) at Churchill Downs, where he and Florida Derby (G1) winner Fierceness are expected to be the favorites.
The top five finishers in the Blue Grass earned qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis. Sierra Leone tops the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard with 155 points.
Churchill Downs uses qualifying points for promotional means and as a preference system when the field lures more than 20 horses.
Sierra Leone will head to the first leg of the Triple Crown as a top-level threat following his visually striking win, in which he passed three horses in the final furlong of the 1 1/8-mile race. Such a closing kick would suggest he should relish the classic Kentucky Derby distance of 1 1/4 miles and the long stretch at Churchill Downs.
Sierra Leone was clocked in a moderate time of 1:50.08 for 1 1/8 miles. Lively splits of :23.15, :46.48 and 1:10.83—established by Sierra Leone's stablemate Top Conor, while tracked by Just a Touch—set up his closing rally.
"He has so much ability, and he does things so easily. We haven't even gotten close to the bottom of him yet," said Gaffalione, who attributed the horse's gate antics to getting worked up as the final horse to load on the far outside in front of a large crowd at Keeneland.
He paid $5.32 to win.
Brown notched his third Blue Grass win with Sierra Leone, after prior success with Good Magic in 2018 and Zandon in 2022. They would finish second and third in the Kentucky Derby, respectively, the best finishes for Brown in the Derby from seven starters.
Asked if he felt Sierra Leone represented his best chance in the Derby, Brown replied, "I'd have to say so."
Comparing Sierra Leone to Good Magic and Zandon, who he said ran well but were beaten without excuses, "This horse is just ahead of them, the way he's marching into the Derby," he said.
Brad Cox, trainer of Just a Touch, is similarly encouraged by his 3-year-old's Derby prospects. He has safely qualified for the Derby with 75 overall points.
"I think he's got a big future," Cox said. "Hopefully, he can take a step forward in four weeks."
Dornoch has enough qualifying points to gain entry with 75, largely by virtue of Remsen and Fountain of Youth (G2) victories.
With 35 overall points, Epic Ride would need defections from the Derby to start.
Twenty-three Blue Grass participants have gone on to win the Kentucky Derby, making it among the most influential Derby preps. The last to do so, however, was Street Sense , who took the 2007 Run for the Roses after a runner-up finish in the Blue Grass on Keeneland's then-Polytrack main track.
This year's race appeared to be one of the strongest Derby preps of the year, drawing existing stakes winners Dornoch, Epic Ride and Sierra Leone, plus graded-placed Seize the Grey , Be You, Just a Touch, and Lat Long.
A $2.3 million auction purchase in 2022 at Fasig-Tipton's The Saratoga Sale, Sierra Leone broke his maiden on debut at Aqueduct Nov. 4 before running second in the Dec. 2 Remsen Stakes (G2) there behind Dornoch and winning the Feb. 17 Risen Star Stakes (G2) at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots to kick off his 3-year-old season.
He races for owners Peter Brant, Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook Smith.
"I am so proud to be an owner of this horse with this great group of friends, the ownership group," Brant said. "This is a great race, a great prep for the Kentucky Derby. It's always been a great prep, but I think this year it's especially strong. I think three or four of the nicest horses in this crop were in this field."
Saturday's Blue Grass was the 100th running of the prestigious race.
Bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley, Sierra Leone is out of the grade 1-winning Malibu Moon mare Heavenly Love.
"I mean, look, he's been a star since he's been born," Brown said, noting that Oxley and her husband, John, were in attendance.
Gun Runner, the leading third-crop sire of last year, is among the general sires list leaders in 2024. He stands for $250,000 at Three Chimneys Farm in Lexington. Along with Red Route One and Il Miracolo, Sierra Leone is one of three 2024 graded stakes winners for Gun Runner.
Strong Handle
Meanwhile, several Keeneland wagering records fell on Blue Grass Day. All-sources handle for the 11-race card totaled $29,261,346, eclipsing the previous single-day wagering record of $28,137,728 set in 2022. Single-race win/place/show wagering of $2,576,663 in the Blue Grass shattered the 2019 record of $2,068,046. The All Stakes Pick 5 ending with the Blue Grass handled $1,696,981, breaking the 2022 record of $1,539,098.
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