Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone, trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, is regarded as one of the top contenders in the division after two near-misses in two-thirds of the Triple Crown.

The Gun Runner dark bay, a $2.3 million purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Select Yearlings Sale, finished a narrow second a nose behind Mystik Dan in the Kentucky Derby, and again gave a strong effort in the Belmont Stakes to finish third 1 1/2 lengths back of Dornoch.

Brown, who has frequently expressed his desire to win a Travers, said his faith in Sierra Leone has never wavered.

“I've felt good every time I've run him. With his running style, he'll have to work out a trip. He's consistently getting faster with his numbers,” said Brown. “It seems he runs into a horse on their best day every time, but that's horse racing. Often times it's been his best number, too. These are high-level races. He's just going to have to come with another career number and race and effort and hopefully work a trip out.”

A native of nearby Mechanicville, Brown spent his childhood attending the races at Saratoga with his family, fostering an appreciation of the sport that led him on the path to becoming one of the training titans in North America.

Brown said Sierra Leone is his best chance yet of winning the Travers, a race he has finished third in on two occasions.

“He's been rock solid. It takes a very special horse to endure all the traveling, all the workouts and the racing. He's a very special horse and some might look at it as he comes up short a lot – I look at it as he's consistent and he always shows up - actually the opposite,” Brown explained. “He's a nose and a head away from a couple big wins and nearly being undefeated. I think he's a horse that always shows up. Sometimes I’m disappointed with the result, I’m never disappointed with this horse's effort.”