Overview

• Sierra Leone surged from last under Flavien Prat to win Saturday’s $1 million Grade I Whitney Stakes by a length over Highland Falls at Saratoga.
• The victory provided Brown with his first Whitney Stakes triumph, filling the only Grade I hole in his storied Saratoga record.
• As a Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series “Win and You’re In” event, the Whitney earned Sierra Leone an automatic spot in the Breeders’ Cup Classic at Del Mar.
• Brown credited staying focused after Zulu Kingdom’s disqualification from the Hall of Fame Stakes for interference as key to his team’s renewed drive.
• Billionaire owner Mike Repole’s declaration on Twitter that Mindframe is the nation’s top older horse has intensified the debate over division supremacy.