Sierra Leone wasn't quite good enough to beat the best of his fellow 3-year-olds in this year's Triple Crown races, but he found his top form Saturday just in time to defeat a sterling lineup from around the world in the $7 million Grade I Breeders' Cup Classic at Del Mar.

Although Peter Brant, one of the owners of Classic (G1) winner Sierra Leone, expressed his desire during a post-race news conference to see him run next year at age 4, the owners are also considering the alternative of standing him at stud in 2025.

Sierra Leone stalked Fierceness and Forever Young in the stretch, then blazed by them to snatch the biggest race of them all from their grasp. Here's how he did it.