The transition from racehorse to stallion oftentimes seems to happen overnight, and in the case of Coolmore America's new additions for 2026, the trio appears to have taken to the first chapter of their new careers in stride. After turning in memorable performances in Del Mar at the Breeders' Cup, Sierra Leone, Fierceness and Citizen Bull touched down in Lexington last Sunday. In the week since, the group has hit the ground running at Ashford Stud.“They've settled in really well and they look great,” said Coolmore's Adrian Wallace. “They've been available for breeders, they've been on the underwater treadmill in the mornings for a bit of exercise and they're ready to go.”Each member of the trio joining Ashford's roster is already a champion, making this one of the most decorated groups of new stallions Coolmore America has ever assembled.“It's immensely gratifying,” Wallace noted. “These three horses are all Eclipse Award winners. Now their racing careers stand behind them and it's up to us to get as many good mares as we can to them from some of the best breeders in the business. It's up to us to make sure that we cement their legacy going forward.” SIERRA LEONE (Gun Runner – Heavenly Love, by Malibu Moon). Standing for $75,000 in 20262024 Champion 3-Year-Old Colt and three time Grade I winner Sierra Leone leads the charge of newcomers with an introductory fee of $75,000.As a yearling, the dark bay son of Gun Runner topped the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga Sale when he sold to White Birch Farm and M. V. Magnier for $2.3 million.The Chad Brown trainee made a memorable winning debut on Breeders' Cup weekend the following year at Aqueduct, earning 'TDN Rising Star presented by Hagyard' honors after he broke a touch slow but then unleashed what would become his trademark come-from-behind kick.From there it was strictly graded stakes company for Sierra Leone, and he never finished off the board in 14 career starts.Sierra Leone claims the 2025 GI Whitney Stakes | Sarah AndrewOver the past two years, Sierra Leone has shared a unique rivalry with his future studmate Fierceness and the Japanese star Forever Young (Jpn) (Real Steel {Jpn}), who shares the same second dam as Sierra Leone in MGISP Darling My Darling (Deputy Minister).After Sierra Leone claimed last year's GII Risen Star Stakes and GI Blue Grass Stakes, he beat out Forever Young for the runner-up position in the GI Kentucky Derby. Later that summer, Fierceness bested Sierra Leone in the GII Jim Dandy and GI Travers Stakes, but Sierra Leone had the final word when he defeated both rivals in the Classic.In 2025, Sierra Leone continued to show consistency at the top level by finishing first or second in four Grade I races, including a win in the GI Whitney Stakes and a runner-up effort in the Classic—a race that once again featured the trifecta of Sierra Leone, Forever Young and Fierceness.“He has been nothing short of a wonder horse for us,” said Wallace. “He's the first horse we've ever had win the Breeders' Cup Classic in the Coolmore colors. We've had some narrow misses with the likes of Giant's Causeway, Henrythenavigator and Declaration of War, so this horse holds a really special place in our hearts. He's been a model of consistency and brilliant determination throughout his career.”Retiring with earnings of just under $8.2 million, Sierra Leone joins Ashford as the second son of leading sire Gun Runner on the Coolmore roster following Gunite, whose has been well represented by his first foals at the recent breeding stock sales.“Sierra Leone comes from a wonderful family cultivated so very well by John and Debby Oxley, out of a mare by Malibu Moon who was a Grade I winner herself here at Keeneland winning the Darley Alcibiades Stakes,” said Wallace. “He will get some of the best mare that Coolmore, Peter Brant and the other Coolmore partners have and I believe he will get some of the very best mares available in the American market today.”FIERCENESS (City of Light – Nonna Bella, by Stay Thirsty). Standing for $50,000 in 2026. Four-time Grade I winner Fierceness takes in the sights at Ashford Stud | Sara GordonYet another TDN Rising Star-turned-champion, four-time Grade I winner Fierceness will stand for $50,000 in 2026.A second-generation homebred for Repole Stable, Fierceness put on a show in his 11 1/4-length Saratoga debut win and again in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile where he romped by more than six length.As a 3-year-old, the Todd Pletcher-trained chestnut dominated in the GI Florida Derby with a 13 ½ length gate-to-wire victory, marking the largest winning margin in the race's 73-year history at 1 1/8 miles. He earned back-to-back wins that summer in Saratoga, out-dueling future Horse of the Year Thorpedo Anna (Fast Anna) in a dramatic Travers Stakes.This year at four, Fierceness set a course record in the GII Alysheba S. at Churchill Downs, stopping the clock in 1:40.66 for 1 1/16 miles, and later captured his fourth Grade I victory in the GI Pacific Classic.“Fierceness is as Fierceness does,” said Wallace. “He ran with such heart, consistency and brilliance throughout his three-year campaign. His figures are amazing. He ran ten 100-plus Beyer Speed Figures throughout his career.”With earnings of over $5.7 million, Fierceness retires to stud as City of Light's all-time leading earner. He is a full-brother to last year's GIII Futurity Stakes victor Mentee and their pedigree also includes stallions Outwork and Cairo Prince.“He showed immense speed in his races and ran against the best of not only his own generation, but also the generation before him,” noted Wallace. “I think he's a horse that breeders are really going to want to get behind once they see him.”CITIZEN BULL (Into Mischief – No Joke, by Distorted Humor). Standing for $45,000 in 2026. Citizen Bull at Ashford Stud | Sara GordonIn the lineup of Eclipse-winning juveniles destined for Ashford Stud, Fierceness claimed the ninth spot, with Citizen Bull close behind as the tenth just a year later. Citizen Bull also holds the distinction of being Into Mischief's only Eclipse Champion 2-Year-Old Colt, though he will likely have to share the title soon after Ted Noffey (Into Mischief)'s undefeated juvenile campaign this year.Bred by Robert and Lawana Low, Citizen Bull was a $675,000 Keeneland September yearling purchase by the partnership of SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. Like his two new studmates, the Bob Baffert trainee was a winner on debut.Citizen Bull bookended his Breeders' Cup Juvenile victory with wins in the GI American Pharoah Stakes and GIII Robert B. Lewis Stakes. Following a score in the Shared Belief Stakes later in his sophomore season this year, Citizen Bull turned in perhaps his most memorable performance in the GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile. After taking the lead early and zipping through opening fractions of 21.74 and :44.96, Citizen Bull battled every step of the way against Nysos (Nyquist) in the stretch before settling for second by a head.“He set a blazing pace and ran one of the greatest races of the Breeders' Cup,” said Wallace. “He's a horse that when breeders see him, he will undoubtedly be very popular. A son of Into Mischief out of a mare by Distorted Humor, he's bred on the same cross as Practical Joke and Life Is Good. He's from the family of juvenile champion Favorite Trick and Eclipse Award winner Tiz the Law, so he comes from a stallion's pedigree.”Wallace added that Citizen Bull's standout physical adds to his appeal.“He's 16'1,” noted Wallace. “He's got great balance and he's a good mover. He's got the pedigree, he's got the power, he's got the performance on the racetrack, and when breeders see him, they'll want to send him a mare.”The post Eclipse-Worthy Talent New To Ashford Stud appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.