As valuable and important as the $7 million Longines Breeders’ Cup Classic may be, there should be a highly intriguing race-within-the race during the Nov. 2 showdown at Del Mar.

On Aug. 25, a day after Fierceness’s dramatic victory by a diminishing head over the gallant filly Thorpedo Anna in a blockbuster edition of the $1.25 million DraftKings Travers Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, the battle for the champion 3-year-old male had a tenuous leader who could be toppled depending on what happens down the road in America’s richest race.

Based on the measuring stick of what have you done lately for me, Repole Stable’s Fierceness leads the pack with his victory in the Aug. 24 “Mid-Summer Derby” and the Jim Dandy Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun before that, which put an end to his inconsistent, win-one-lose-one ways.

The connections of Fierceness celebrate his Travers Stakes victory. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Yet based on graded stakes wins, Fierceness and Dornoch are even. Both have two Grade 1 wins and a Grade 2 victory this year. Fierceness owns a win for trainer Todd Pletcher in the Grade 1 Curlin Florida Derby Presented by Hill ‘n’ Dale Farms at Xalapa to go along with his scores in the Travers and Jim Dandy, while Dornoch, trained by Danny Gargan, triumphed in a Triple Crown test, the Belmont Stakes, along with the Grade 1 NYRA Bets Haskell Stakes and the Grade 2 Coolmore Fountain of Youth Stakes.

A Classic victory would be game, set, and match for either of them, but a strong second or third in the 1 ¼-mile test against older rivals could put one of them over the top with the Eclipse Award voters.

“Well, I am biased but I’d put him at the top of the class,” Pletcher said Sunday morning about Fierceness. “I think the Classic will decide it. Voters tend to have short-term memories when it comes to awards and they put more emphasis on what happens in the fall as opposed to the spring. Yet in this division, no one has totally locked down leadership and the Classic will carry a ton of weight. There’s probably a good argument that whoever places best among us will be the champ.”

Pletcher said Fierceness, owner Mike Repole’s homebred son of City of Light, came back fine from the race. Pletcher said most likely Fierceness will stay at Saratoga through September and do his final training at Keeneland before shipping to Del Mar the week of the Classic.

Gargan said Dornoch was flat after wins in the Belmont and Haskell. He came out of the race fine, but Gargan said he will train the son of Good Magic up to the Classic.

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“He ran a little flat. He fought two hard races. We’ll reboot and come back for the Breeders’ Cup,” Gargan said. “He needs a little time. We’ll keep him up here. The weather will cool down and hopefully we can get him back up. He was fourth but didn’t run badly. I’d love to be fourth in the Travers and win the Belmont every year. We’re proud of him and what he has accomplished and happy to be a part of it.”

Gargan echoed the importance of the Breeders’ Cup Classic on the voting for the 3-year-old male champion.

“I think it’s down to us and Fierceness and whoever beats who in the Breeders’ Cup gets it,” Gargan said. “It will be fun to watch.”

Bred by Grandview Equine and a full-brother (same dam [mother] and sire [father]) to 2023 Kentucky Derby winner Mage, Dornoch is owned by West Paces Racing, R. A. Hill Stable, Belmar Racing and Breeding, Two Eight Racing, and Pine Racing Stables.

Sierra Leone once again placed in a major 3-year-old test, finishing third in the Travers, winding up 1 ¾ lengths behind Fierceness as a surprising 8-5 favorite after being pegged as the fourth choice in the morning line behind Dornoch, Fierceness, and Thorpedo Anna.

Trainer Chad Brown said the $2.3 million son of Gun Runner probably will train up to the Classic, where he could conceivably wind up winning the Eclipse Award in the final jump. A Classic victory would give him two Grade 1 wins, the Classic and the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, plus a Grade 2 win in the Risen Star Stakes, matching the totals of Fierceness and Dornoch. In addition, Sierra Leone was second in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve and Jim Dandy and third in the Belmont and Travers. He has never finished worse than third while Dornoch has been unplaced three times this year and Fierceness was 15th in the Kentucky Derby.

“He has to win the Breeders’ Cup Classic and then you can make a case for him,” Brown said. “But Fierceness has come to form. He’s run very fast numbers and is very good. He’s been very well managed.”

Brown said Sierra Leone ran a “solid” race in the Travers but was unable to reel in Fierceness and Thorpedo Anna, who were closer to a moderate pace than his late-running colt.

“He ran another solid race and unfortunately came up short,” Brown said. “The lack of pace didn’t help him and Saratoga may not be his favorite track. Fierceness was a deserving winner, but for our horse I expected much more pace than [a :48.10 half-mile], but it is what it is when you have a closer like him who can be pace dependent.”

Sierra Leone, bred by Debby Oxley, is owned by Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith, Westerberg, Rocket Ship Racing, and Peter Brant.

Thorpedo Anna winning Coaching Club American Oaks. (Eclipse Sportswire)

Trainer Ken McPeek reported that Thorpedo Anna came out of the Travers fine and the daughter of Fast Anna was on course for the Sept. 21 Cotillion Stakes at Parx Racing.

“She ran super and we are very proud of her,” he said. “A few changes here and there and maybe she gets up.”

While the battle for the 3-year-old male crown is up for grabs, Thorpedo Anna has clinched the 3-year-old filly title and the three-time Grade 1 winner would surely be a popular Horse of the Year choice if she closes out the year with wins in the Cotillion and Longines Breeders’ Cup Distaff.

“It’s up to other people but she’s aligned for all that,” McPeek said about the Horse of the Year possibility. “Let’s get through the next race first, but she’s been amazing all season and yesterday was no exception.”