32Northern Flame

Sierra Leone’s breeder Debby Oxley is fortunate enough to have a second of her foals on the Kentucky Derby trail in the form of Northern Flame.

Bred by Oxley in Kentucky, Northern Flame was a $425,000 purchase at the Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Yearling August Sale. He is raced by Jack Oxley, Harold Lerner LLC, AWC Stables and Magdalena Racing, and trained by Kenny McPeek.

Like Sierra Leone’s dam Heavenly Love, Northern Flame’s dam Darling’s Darling is a daughter of Darling My Darling. Both dams are by sons of A.P. Indy (Bernardini for Northern Flame, Malibu Moon for Sierra Leone), and the family is also responsible for Japan’s Forever Young, winner of the 2024 Saudi Derby.

Northern Flame is from the first crop of Flameaway, winner of the Sam F. Davis Stakes (G3) on the 2018 Kentucky Derby trail. He’s made a decent start to his stallion career, finishing fifth on the North American first-season sires table in 2023.

There is solid stamina in Northern Flame’s distaff side and though Flameaway’s ability to get Classic stamina is as yet unproven, his pedigree features numerous Classic performers and thus Northern Flame has reasonable prospects at 1 1/4 miles.

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