Sierra Leone is a champion American thoroughbred racehorse foaled on March 31, 2021. Named after the West African country, this dark bay or brown colt was bred in Kentucky by Debby Oxley. His pedigree traces back through generations of successful racehorses, with his sire being Gun Runner, the 2017 Whitney Stakes winner, and his dam Heavenly Love, who won the 2017 Grade I Alcibiades Stakes.
The Oxley family’s breeding influence extends to Sierra Leone’s second dam, Darling My Darling, purchased by John Oxley for $300,000 in 1998. Heavenly Love, Sierra Leone’s dam, retired with earnings of $346,200 from 10 starts with a record of 2-0-2.
Sierra Leone commanded significant attention at auction, selling for $2.3 million as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale in August 2022, making him the highest-priced yearling at that sale. He was purchased by Coolmore Stud’s Michael V. Magnier in partnership with Peter Brant of White Birch Farm.
Running Style and Characteristics
Sierra Leone’s running style is distinctively defined as a late-running, come-from-behind horse. Trainer Chad Brown has noted: “His running style is pretty defined. You can see that he’s a come-from-behind horse”.
Deep Closer: Sierra Leone typically settles far back in the field early, often trailing in last place
Wide Rally: He consistently makes his move around the final turn, often going very wide into the stretch
Late Surge: His trademark is unleashing a powerful late kick in the final furlongs
Durability: Despite his come-from-behind style requiring extra ground, he has proven remarkably consistent
Physical Characteristics
Sierra Leone has been noted to have a slight paddling motion with his front left foot, where it swings around during his stride. While this creates some inefficiency, it hasn’t significantly impacted his performance at shorter distances.