Sierra Leone, Mindframe Tangle in Jockey Club Gold Cup

You can basically thank timing for creating a stellar edition of the Jockey Club Gold Cup Stakes (G1). In an era when the spacing between stakes is of paramount importance to trainers, the connections of several top older runners view the nine weeks between the Jockey Club Gold Cup and the Nov. 1 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) at Del Mar as the right time frame between the two mile-and-a-quarter races. And thus the $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup became the Whitney 2.0. The top four finishers from the Aug. 2 Whitney Stakes (G1) will meet in an exciting rematch Aug. 31 at Saratoga Race Course with multiple grade 1 winner Mindframe adding even more zest to the mix. "The Gold Cup is being viewed as the right place for horses to make their final start before the Breeders' Cup," said Todd Pletcher, who trains Mindframe. "It's coming up a very, very deep field." While Whitney winner Sierra Leone was installed as the 8-5 favorite in the Whitney, it was Repole Stable and St. Elias Stables' Mindframe, the 2-1 second choice, who beat the son of Gun Runner by a length in the June 28 Stephen Foster Stakes (G1) and has finished in front of Sierra Leone in both of their meetings. "Mindframe has trained super since the Stephen Foster. We're very happy with the way he's coming into the race. It's been a great start to the year with three straight wins and we're trying to keep it going," Pletcher said. A year ago, Mindframe finished second in the 1 1/4-mile Belmont Stakes (G1) at the Spa, while Sierra Leone settled for third. His 3-year-old season came to an end after a second in the Haskell Stakes (G1) but he has reeled off wins in the Gulfstream Park Mile Stakes (G2), Churchill Downs Stakes (G1), and Stephen Foster in his three 2025 starts. The son of Constitution bred by R. Larry Johnson in Maryland will be searching for his first win beyond 1 1/8 miles. But Pletcher is confident the added furlong in the Breeders' Cup Challenge Series event offering a free spot in the Classic will not pose a problem. "He ran so well in the Belmont last year," Pletcher said about the $600,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. "He's always given us confidence that he'll handle the mile and a quarter." While hardly a two-horse race, Pletcher was not shy about facing Sierra Leone before the Classic. "We have a lot of respect for Sierra Leone. He's a tough horse to beat," Pletcher said. "We got the upper hand on him in the Foster and Belmont and we'll try to do it again." A year ago, Sierra Leone finished third in the Travers Stakes (G1) and then used 10 weeks of rest to capture the Classic and earn the Eclipse Award as the champion 3-year-old male. Trainer Chad Brown felt the 10-week gap was the limit in terms of preparing for the Classic, prompting him to target the Jockey Club Gold Cup immediately after Sierra Leone notched a length victory over 2024 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Highland Falls in the Whitney. "I wouldn't say he's better than he was a year ago," said Brown, who entered Contrary Thinking as a "rabbit" in the Jockey Club Gold Cup, just as he did in the Whitney. "I'd say he's been very, very consistent. He's training great and I was really pleased with his last two races." Owned by Peter Brant, the Coolmore partners, Westerberg, and Brook Smith, Sierra Leone was third in the New Orleans Classic Stakes (G2) and second in the Foster in his 2025 starts prior to the Whitney. Bred by Debby Oxley, Sierra Leone has earned $6.8 million after he was purchased for $2.3 million at the 2022 The Saratoga Sale, Fasig-Tipton's select yearling sale. While Mindframe and Sierra Leone are a combined 1-for-5 at the Spa, Godolphin's Highland Falls has a win and a second in two tries at the the track, both in grade 1 company. After finishing a disappointing ninth in the 2024 Classic, Highland Falls did not return to the races until he captured a June 27 allowance optional claimer at Aqueduct Racetrack. That set up the 5-year-old homebred son of Curlin for a strong effort in the Whitney. "He likes this track. It comes with the pedigree line. The Curlin line seems to like this track," trainer Brad Cox said. "He's a horse who has always been playing catch up. Once we got him back this year, he really took off. I expected him to run huge at Aqueduct and he did and I expected a huge run last time. I'm expecting another big run out of him Sunday. This is a very good field and we're fortunate to be a part of it." Winchell Thoroughbreds' homebred Disarm removed a bar shoe for the Whitney and turned in a strong effort for trainer Steve Asmussen. Sent off at 46-1 odds, the Gun Runner 5-year-old rallied from eighth to finish third, three lengths behind Sierra Leone. Rounding out the cast of characters from the Whitney is C Two Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable's White Abarrio, who was fourth. Trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., the son of Race Day won the 2023 Whitney and Classic. Pletcher will also send out Centennial Farms' Antiquarian, who was second by a head in the mile-and-a-quarter Suburban Stakes (G2) at the Spa. "He's had a couple of tough beats this year. He's been training very well so hopefully he'll show up with a big effort," Pletcher said about the 4-year-old son of Preservationist. The field of nine also includes Suburban winner Phileas Fogg and Banishing, who captured the Aug. 22 Charles Town Classic Stakes (G2).