Sierra Leone returns to the work tab

Peter M. Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, and Brook T. Smith’s dual graded stakes-winner Sierra Leone returned to the work tab Sunday at Saratoga Race Course for the first time since his third-place effort in the Grade 1 Belmont Stakes presented by NYRA Bets.

Trained by four-time Eclipse Award-winner Chad Brown, the Gun Runner colt won the Grade 2 Risen Star in February at Fair Grounds and Grade 1 Blue Grass in April at Keeneland en route to a narrow nose defeat in the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby in May at Churchill Downs.

Last out, in the 10-furlong Grade 1 Belmont Stakes on June 8 at the Spa, Sierra Leone closed from ninth-of-10 to finish third behind the more prominent one-two finishers Dornoch and Mindframe.

Sierra Leone returned to the tab Sunday with blinkers on, covering a half-mile solo over the Oklahoma dirt training track in 49.66 seconds and galloping out through the turn and into the backstretch while encouraged by the exercise rider.

“It went fine. It was his first work back and he was moving good,” Brown said.

Brown said he has yet to decide if Sierra Leone will try the Grade 2, $500,000 Jim Dandy presented by Mohegan Sun on July 27 or wait for the Grade 1, $1.25 million DraftKings Travers on August 24.