Chad Brown, a five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, has won 19 Breeders’ Cup races, only one win behind Aidan O’Brien and D. Wayne Lukas for the most in the history of the event. Brown, who brings back 2024 Classic winner Sierra Leone, has seven starters this year.

REDISTRICTING (Turf, 21.41 Saturday)

This five-year-old gelding by Kingman finished second behind two-time BC Turf winner Rebel’s Romance in the Grade 1 Joe Hirsch Turf Classic at Aqueduct in September. Prior to that, he won the Grade 2 United Nations at Monmouth Park.

“I’m not saying he’s better than all the American horses, but he’s in the same group that takes turns beating each other,” Brown said. “I don’t think these horses are better than him in the American group. It might not be the strongest Euro group, not to say they don’t have top horses that can win, but I’ve participated in other Breeders’ Cup mile-and-a-half turfs where there were really scary horses coming over. There are good horses coming, but I don’t mind taking them on.

“He just got beat soundly by one of the favourites, there’s no doubt about that, but it is a $5 million race,” Brown added.

HILL ROAD (Turf, 21.41 Saturday)

Kentucky-bred three-year-old son of Quality Road finished third at 61-1 in last year’s Juvenile on dirt, his last start for trainer Adrian Murray.

After he failed to get on the Kentucky Derby trail, Hill Road did win the Grade 3 Peter Pan and was fifth in the Belmont Stakes.

Switched back to turf, a surface on which he won a maiden race in 2024, Hill Road finished third in the Nashville Derby and the Jockey Club Derby.

“He has credentials to be in the race, he will have to step up,” Brown said.

SIERRA LEONE (Classic, 22.25 Saturday)

The winner of last year’s Breeders’ Classic has had an average four-year-old campaign, winning just once from four starts. He began the year with a non-threatening third in the New Orleans Classic at Fair Grounds in February.

He gave a much-improved effort when second to Mindframe in the Grade 1 Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. With the addition of a pacemaker, Contrary Thinking in the field, Sierra Leone won the Grade 1 Whitney.

In the Jockey Club Gold Cup, a bumping incident which led to Mindframe losing his rider, Irad Ortiz Jr., also impacted Sierra Leone who had to hurdle a prone Ortiz and was further back than he even typically likes. He still came with a late run and finished second.

“It showed a lot about this horse,” Brown said. “Consistency and overall constitution to jump over a jockey and spot the field more than ten lengths for sure and nearly come back and almost win. I think that really sums up to me what the horse is made of.”

Brown called Sierra Leone’s final work before the Breeders’ Cup “exceptional.” He will again have the presence of the pacemaker Contrary Thinking in the field to ensure a strong pace.

PROGRAM TRADING (Mile, 23.05 Saturday)

This five-year-old British-bred son of Lope De Vega is a three-time Grade 1 winner at 1 1-8 miles to 1 3-16 miles. He was sidelined him for 14 months but he is coming off a second-place finish behind Rhetorical in the Grade 1 Coolmore Turf Mile, just his second start this year.

“I feel Program Trading is one of the top male turf horses in this country,” Brown said. “It’s been challenging with him getting late start to the season and missing races like the Manhattan and Arlington Million. A mile is a touch short for him. He’s going to need some things to go his way.”

CHANCER MCPATRICK (Dirt Mile, 11.45 Sunday)

A two-time Grade 1 winner at two, his three-year-old season has been a bit disappointing. His lone victory from five starts came in the listed Curlin Stakes, though it was his first victory around two turns.

He returned to one-turn in the Grade 1 H. Allen Jerkens where he finished fourth. Brown has liked what he’s seen from Chancer McPatrick in his recent training and the expected pace of the race could very well set up for him.

“It’s a tough race, he’s going to need a good pace set-up in that race, it’s a quick mile at Del Mar but I love the way he’s coming into it,” Brown said. “The biggest positive about him is I’ve never seen him look better physically. He’s carrying the most weight he’s ever carried, his coat is shining and he’s very happy right now.”

VILLAGE VOICE (Filly and Mare Turf, 00.25 Sunday)

This five-year-old British-bred daughter of Zarak, formerly trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland, came off a year layoff to win the Grade 3 Waya Stakes at Aqueduct on October 6 to qualify for this race, which Brown has won four times.

Brown compared Village Voice to My Sister Nat who won the Waya Stakes in 2021 and then finished second at 29-1 in the Filly and Mare Turf to the Japanese filly Loves Only You.

“Prior to that you wouldn’t have said (My Sister Nat) is a Grade 1 filly,” Brown said. “That’s sort of the way I’m thinking because of the distance of the race, she’s a specialist going a mile-and-three-eighths, mile-and-a-half, this filly so I think she fits. I don’t think it’s a reach to send her out there.”