Sierra Leone To Retire to Ashford Stud Following the Breeders’ Cup Classic

The 2024 Champion 3-Year-Old and winner of the series’ marquee event will begin his stud duties in 2026

Sierra Leone Capturing the Whitney at Saratoga / ADAM COGLIANESE / NYRA

LEXINGTON, Kentucky (Special for Turf Diario).- The career of one of the most remarkable colts to grace the American turf in recent years will reach its final chapter this fall. Sierra Leone (Gun Runner), whose blend of class, temperament, and consistency captivated fans across the country, will retire to stud following his start in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, joining the Coolmore America roster at Ashford Stud in Kentucky beginning with the 2026 breeding season.

The announcement came proudly from the Coolmore team, which described the dark bay as “an exceptional horse in every sense,” echoing the words of his trainer Chad Brown, who left no doubt about where he ranks among his many champions. “I’ve trained a lot of good horses,” Brown said, “but without question, Sierra Leone is the best I’ve ever had. He’s in a league of his own.”

Purchased by Peter Brant’s White Birch Farm, MV Magnier on behalf of Coolmore, and Brook Smith for $2.3 million, the highest price at the 2022 Saratoga Yearling Sale, Sierra Leone quickly justified every penny. He debuted with a devastating victory at Aqueduct, earning TDN Rising Star honors, and in his second start just missed by a nose to Dornoch (Good Magic) in the GII Remsen Stakes, despite a troubled trip.

At three, the colt became one of the defining stars of his generation, posting authoritative wins in the GII Risen Star S.and the GI Blue Grass S., which stamped his ticket to the GI Kentucky Derby. After a tough trip in Louisville, he finished a gallant second, beaten only a whisker by Mystik Dan (Goldencents), leaving the impression that redemption was inevitable.

And redemption came in spades. Through the summer, Sierra Leone showcased his grit and durability, adding strong placings in the GI Belmont S., GII Jim Dandy S., and GI Travers S., before sealing his legacy with a commanding victory in the GI Breeders’ Cup Classic, defeating a stellar field that included champion juvenile Fierceness (City of Light).

In 2025, the son of Gun Runner continued to shine, capturing the GI Whitney S. at Saratoga and finishing second in both the GI Stephen Foster and the GI Jockey Club Gold Cup. He retires with a record of 13 starts—never finishing worse than third—a testament to his class, consistency, and soundness.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome Sierra Leone to Ashford for the 2026 season,” said Dermot Ryan, Ashford’s General Manager. “When someone like Chad Brown says he’s the best horse he’s ever trained, that says it all. Like his sire Gun Runner, he won both the Whitney and the Breeders’ Cup Classic—but he did it as a three-year-old. He’s been the ultimate model of class and consistency.”

Ryan also emphasized Sierra Leone’s exceptional pedigree. His dam, a GI Alcibiades S. winner, descends from a line of three consecutive Grade I-winning mares, a family that has also produced international stars such as Japanese champion Zenno Rob Roy (Sunday Silence) and Forever Young (Real Steel).

Coolmore expects Sierra Leone to have global appeal as a stallion, blending elite performance, pedigree, and presence. “When you combine a champion racehorse with a world-class pedigree and outstanding physical, all that’s left is anticipation for what’s to come,” Ryan concluded.

The 2026 stud fee will be announced at a later date, but there is little doubt that Sierra Leone’s arrival at Ashford Stud stands as one of the most significant stallion developments of the upcoming season.