2nd through 20th: Morning after for Kentucky Derby also-rans

Trainer Chad Brown is purposeful with his thoughts and words, mindful of his phrasing and the fact that perspective can shift on a dime in Thoroughbred racing.

The morning after watching Grade 1 winner Sierra Leone come up a nose short of the winner Mystik Dan during a thrilling three-horse finish on the wire in Kentucky Derby 2024, the four-time Eclipse Award-winning conditioner was introspective as he sorted out the gamut of emotions running through him after his classic near-miss.

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Brown checked on Sierra Leone first hand Sunday morning, reporting that the son of Gun Runner was tired but all good following his achingly close runner-up finish in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

After showing off the colt to co-owner Derrick Smith, who was on hand to admire his gritty charge, Brown discussed what might be next for the Blue Grass Stakes (G1) victor after running a winning race that didn’t yield the result to match.

“He’s good, but he’s not going to the Preakness,” Brown said of Sierra Leone. “I’m going to take him to Saratoga tomorrow, and he’s going to train there for the Belmont (Stakes). He’s a little tired. He’s a real laid back horse, but when we brought him he out, (he) was a little more tired than he normally is after his races. I think giving him the five weeks to the Belmont is definitely the right thing to do.”

Sierra Leone expended tremendous energy in the Kentucky Derby as he rallied from 18th early on, made a wide, sweeping move off the far turn, traded bumps with third-place finisher Forever Young in the lane and still only came up inches short.

Given the amount of ground Sierra Leone had to make up and the traffic he had to work his way through, Brown believes his protégé ran the kind of race that further validates his belief that he brought the best horse into the 10-furlong classic.

“I’m disappointed with the result, but I’m so proud of the horse,” Brown said. “In my mind, he ran the best race. That’s no disrespect to the winner. It’s just, it’s a hard race to win, everything has to go right. With the winner, the horse showed up and was prepared right, and he ran terrific. You have to have a trip where everything goes right.

“It’s not (Mystik Dan’s) fault the doors opened for him, I wish that would have happened for me. But I don’t think lesser of the winner’s performance. It’s just an example of two trips. But that’s what has to happen here. For us, I don’t think we had a bad trip. But our horse was very far back on a track that favors speed, and he had to go around a lot of horses, and he had a ton of ground to make up. To almost get there despite all that, I really feel he ran the best race. We’ll see going forward the rest of the year where he stacks up with the entire body of work.”

Brown added that his other Kentucky Derby starter Domestic Product did not emerge from his 13th-place run unscathed.

“Domestic Product lost a shoe leaving the gate and grabbed his quarter pretty good,” Brown said. “Then he was a bit keen down the backside. Irad (Ortiz Jr.) was trying to tuck in, and he was pulling and stuff like that. He was just never happy. He never really relaxed. I’m going to throw that race out. I do like that horse, and hopefully he comes back good.”

Sierra Leone’s defeat marked the third time Brown has sent out a horse who finished in the top three of the Derby. He saddled champion Good Magic to a runner-up finish behind eventual Triple Crown winner Justify in 2018 and had Zandon come home third to long shot winner Rich Strike in 2022.

“I really felt I had the best horse,” Brown said of Sierra Leone. “Nobody was really going to convince me otherwise. I wasn’t going to broadcast it, but I knew what I had. But I also went in prepared for the worst, because it’s such a hard race to win. Little things can change fate. It can be brutal dealing with the agony of defeat sometimes.”

Forever Young, 3rd

Susumu Fujita’s Forever Young was scheduled to return to Japan on Tuesday starting with a van trip to Chicago and then a flight to Narita.

Fujita left Louisville after the race Saturday night, but told Hiroshi Ando, racing manager for trainer Yoshito Yahagi, that he “enjoyed the massive atmosphere and proud of his horse’s performance.”

Ando said Yahagi was disappointed that Forever Young lost, but “how he ran his race made us so proud.”

Yahagi, who left Louisville early Sunday, noted Forever Young’s third-place finish was the best result for a UAE Derby (G2) winner in the Kentucky Derby, even after traveling first to win the Saudi Derby (G3) and then to Dubai and on to Kentucky, “it shows that you can do it.”

While winner Mystik Dan was getting the golden run along the rail, Forever Young and Sierra Leone were exchanging bumps. Jockey Ryusei Sakai did not claim foul.

“Claims of foul do not happen much in Japan,” Ando said. “It is the stewards’ call, not us.”

Catching Freedom, 4th, and Just a Touch, 20th

It was a much quieter scene at barn 22 Sunday morning than the rest of Kentucky Derby week with both Catching Freedom and Just a Touch enjoying an easy day in the shed row. Both horses came out of the Derby fine and next plans are still to be determined, according to trainer Brad Cox.

T O Password, 5th

Tomoya Ozasa’s T O Password was scheduled to return to Japan on Tuesday starting with a van trip to Chicago and then a flight to Narita. Ozaza left Louisville after the race Saturday night, and trainer Daisuke Takayanagi was on an early flight Sunday morning back to Japan.

After the race Takayanagi told his racing manager Hiroshi Ando that T O Password “got a lot of experience for just his third race and was proud of his horse’s performance. It was a great experience for adapting to racing in North America.”

“He’s good this morning. No problems, but he is tired,” jockey Kazushi Kimura said during a stop at the quarantine barn Sunday morning.

T O Password was cut off at the start when Track Phantom came inward after the break. Kimura also lost his crop late in the stretch drive.

“It is what it is. He missed the first step, and from there I followed Sierra Leone. He tried hard all the way.”

Resilience, 6th

Wood Memorial (G2) winner Resilience was none the worse for wear after his sixth-place run in the Kentucky Derby, but trainer Bill Mott said he will not go on to the Preakness.

“He had absolutely a great trip,” Mott said. “I think he tried. By the looks of it, he might not have handled the 10 furlongs. He actually ran a very good race. Leaving the quarter pole, he looked like he could win as well as anybody, but he just couldn’t finish it off. I’d say at this point we wouldn’t go (to the Belmont) either.”

Stronghold, 7th

California-based colt Stronghold was looking fine and feeling a little frisky at barn 48 on the Churchill backstretch Sunday morning. Trainer Phil D’Amato and his wife and chief exercise rider Sherri Alexander had caught an early flight west to their Santa Anita headquarters, but stable assistant Julie Witt was overseeing activity and noted that all was well.

“He got a little hot after running yesterday, but he’s fine and feeling good this morning,” Witt said. “He’ll go back to California at some point in the next week I’d guess.

“We had five horses run here this week, and Stronghold and Elm Drive will go back west. The others are going to stay, and they’ll be joined by a few other runners currently over at Keeneland. Phil keeps a string here (in Kentucky).”

Honor Marie, 8th

Trainer Whit Beckman lamented the trip his Derby runner Honor Marie had Saturday.

“He had the worst of the worst trips,” Beckman said. “He passed a lot of horses. He was making his run. You ask (winning trainer) Kenny McPeek. You look at how many Derbies he’s been in, and I’m sure he’s had a lot of bad trips. He got a beautiful trip, and that’s what it takes. Hopefully we keep showing and doing this again, because it was a fun week.”

Endlessly, 9th

Amerman Racing’s Endlessly, was doing fine at barn 35 on Sunday morning as trainer Michael McCarthy and assistant Justin Curran went about the business of dealing with their string of Kentucky horses. McCarthy was booked on a flight to California for around 9 a.m. EDT. He had horses to run Sunday afternoon at Santa Anita from his California stable.

Both men indicated that they were pleased with the effort that their son of Oscar Performance had given in his first attempt on a dirt surface.

“He certainly gave it a good try,” McCarthy said. “We beat more than half the field, and that’s not bad.

“But it’s in the cards now for all concerned that the horse will go back to the grass. That’s where he wants to be.”

The horse is headed back to California, too, probably on a plane with other California runners in the next few days.

Dornoch, 10th, and Society Man, 16th

Priscilla Schaefer, exercise rider for Danny Gargan, reported  all was good with Dornoch and Society Man. She gave both colts tons of affection Sunday morning, stressing the fact they both came back well was the best takeaway from their efforts.

“That’s the most important thing,” Schaefer said. “You should have seen us walking back yesterday. We were laughing, smiling. We were just happy to be there and happy that they came back safe and sound. That always comes first.”

West Saratoga, 12th

Harry Veruchi’s West Saratoga was scheduled to return to trainer Larry Demeritte’s base at The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky., on Sunday.

Sitting in his tack room at barn 42 after the race Saturday night, Demeritte said West Saratoga came out of the race in good order.

Demeritte was not at the barn Sunday, because he attends a 9:45 a.m. EDT weekly church service in Lexington.

Epic Ride, 14th

Welch Racing’s Epic Ride returned to The Thoroughbred Center in Lexington, Ky., on Saturday night after the race. Trainer John Ennis reported via text that all was good with Epic Ride on Sunday morning.

“My plan was always to try and run in the Derby and give him some time off and bring him back at a mile in the summer,” Ennis said. “Maybe even Kentucky Downs.”

Fierceness, 15th

The Kentucky Derby favorite at 3-1, Repole Stable’s Fierceness was resting in barn 39 on Sunday morning after a disappointing effort that saw him among the leaders for the first mile of the 1 1/4 miles but then lacking in punch for the run through the lane.

“The colt seems fine this morning,” trainer Todd Pletcher said. “He cooled out fine and scoped clean, and he’s doing OK.”

Plans for the Eclipse Award-winning colt’s immediate future had not yet been determined by Pletcher and owner Mike Repole.

“I haven’t had a chance to discuss what’s next with Mike, but I think we will take a couple of weeks and let the dust settle before we make any decision.

“I believe he’ll ships up to Saratoga in the next week.”

Just Steel, 17th

Bas Nicholl, assistant to trainer D. Wayne Lukas, said BC Stables and Henry Schmueckle’s Just Steel emerged in good order from his 17th-place finish under first-time Derby jockey Keith Asmussen.

Grand Mo the First, 18th

Granpollo Stables’ Grand Mo the First is scheduled to return to his base at Gulfstream Park on Monday without a next race in his plans yet.

“I don’t have a clear plan now,” trainer Víctor Barboza Jr. said via text. “We will check the horse out the next few days and decide on a new race.”

Catalytic, 19th

Tami Bobo, Julie Davies and George Isaacs’s Catalytic came out of the Derby in good shape after finishing 19th with jockey José Ortiz, trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said.

“All is well,” Joseph said. “He will go back to Florida.”