Sierra Leone Wins, Highland Falls Places, Disarm Shows

Sierra Leone and Flavien Prat left no doubts at Saratoga to who was of the champion’s mettle in storming to a one-length victory in the 98th running of the Whitney Stakes. The favorite Fierceness, who had gone off at 6/5, was a momentary factor in the far turn and came out of it in the lead by three lengths, but he was quickly blazed by the surging Highland Falls, who, in the last hundred yards of the last furlong, was himself run down by the hard-closing Sierra Leone. Disarm showed very well, and White Abarrio ran a clean fourth.

Fierceness faded to an ignoble fifth at the line, which was nearly as extraordinary a performance as the towering run brought by his rival Sierra Leone. Passed handily and within yards by four horses well before the finish, it was as if he suddenly decided not to run the last quarter-mile.

In fact, his fade gave off the air of a mental rather than a physical difficulty, reminiscent of last year, when his trainer Pletcher’s pulling him from the 2024 Triple Crown series after his 15th place showing in the Kentucky Derby. Some kind of spooky something happened in the Whitney’s second turn, or perhaps, as he did in the Derby, he’s just signalling that he’s ready for another small vacation, as Pletcher arranged for him last summer.

As exciting as the victory might have seemed from the racegoers’ perspective, Flavien Prat seemed equivalent in his estimation of his mount, telling the cameras after the win: “Today, he broke forwardly, which was good. I was able to at least stay in contact. I was traveling good down the backside. I didn’t know if I had horse when we got to the far turn, but as soon as I asked him to get going he really responded well. I tipped him out and he extended well.”

Sierra Leone paid $5.90. In place, Highland Falls paid $8.50, and Disarm, who ran third, bumped up the proceedings with $12.00. The $1 exacta paid a respectable $27.50, and the $0.50 trifecta (5-3-6) paid a fine $127.50.