Kentucky Derby: Fierceness, Sierra Leone arrive at Churchill

Fierceness and Sierra Leone, the expected first two choices for the Kentucky Derby, arrived on the Churchill grounds about 16 hours apart.

Fierceness, the 2023 2-year-old champion and dominant Florida Derby winner, arrived about 4 a.m. following a van ride from his winter base at Palm Beach Downs.

Trainer Todd Pletcher had strongly considered having Fierceness have his final workout at Palm Beach Downs, but with a new rule requiring horses be on the grounds by 11 a.m. Saturday, he didn’t want to have to alter Fierceness’s training schedule to make it. Pletcher would like to breeze Fierceness on Friday.

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“I didn’t want to ship the same day that we breezed, didn’t want to work on Thursday and then ship on Friday, and God forbid have a flat tire and we wouldn’t be there by 11 a.m. and they would not allow you to enter,” Pletcher said Monday from Louisville. “Ultimately, decided to ship the horse here and hope we get to breeze Friday or Saturday if the weather is cooperative.”

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone shipped to Churchill from Keeneland on Sunday, one day after he worked at the Lexington track. Sierra Leone, the Grade 1 Blue Grass winner, had a good-looking gallop Monday morning at Churchill for trainer Chad Brown.

Sierra Leone is expected to have his final pre-Derby workout Saturday.

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