A VERY consistent top-class performer who won eight of his 12 lifetime starts, Leading Light was a champion stayer for two seasons. He stood his first stud season in 2015 as a National Hunt stallion at Coolmore’s Grange Stud in Co Cork at a very reasonable fee and his first crop of three-year-olds will surely be featuring at the store sales this spring and summer.

Trained by Aidan O’Brien, Leading Light raced only twice as a two-year-old, finishing fourth on his debut and then winning at Tipperary in October 2012. The next season he ran up a winning sequence of five races, first a minor event at Navan, then three weeks later the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh.

In mid-June Leading Light raced over an extra six furlongs in the Group 3 Queen’s Vase at Royal Ascot, but he stayed on well under top weight to win by a length and a half. After Ascot, Leading Light had three months rest until the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster in September where he went to the front early in the straight and came home a length and

In the 2013 world rankings Leading Light was the champion three-year-old stayer in Europe.

Again in 2014 Leading Light began his season at Navan in May in the Group 3 Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes and won easily by three lengths from Royal Diamond. A month later his great stamina and courage gained him success in the Group 1 Ascot Gold Cup over two and a half miles at the Royal Ascot meeting, just holding off the 2013 winner Estimate, and then he completed his hat-trick in the Group 3 Irish St Leger Trial Stakes at the Curragh, again at the expense of Royal Diamond.

However, in the Group 1 Irish St Leger he had to be content with second behind Goodwood Cup winner Brown Panther. At the end of that year Leading Light was rated the champion four-year-old stayer in Ireland.

Apart from his own outstanding racing record, Leading Light is a son of champion sire Montjeu, who sired four winners of the Epsom Derby and four winners of the Irish Derby.

Montjeu is also the sire of one of the greatest hurdlers of all time, Hurricane Fly, while sons of Montjeu have already sired top jumpers such as Douvan, winner of the Supreme Novices’ Hurdle at Cheltenham, the Triumph Hurdle and Grand National star Tiger Roll, and other Grade 1 winners such as Nichols Canyon, Might Bite, Min and Pentland Hills.

Dance Parade, the dam of Leading Light, was a speedy filly by Gone West who won the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes at Royal Ascot and the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury, before being sent to California, where she won the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita.

LEADING LIGHT (IRE). Champion 3yr old stayer in Europe in 2013. Won eight races, £760,982, from 1 mile 1 furlong to 2½ miles, 2 to 4 years including, Ascot Gold Cup, Ascot, Gr.1, Ladbrokes St Leger Stakes, Doncaster, Gr.1, Airlie Stud Gallinule Stakes, Curragh, Gr.3, Ballycullen Palmerstown St Leger Trial, Curragh, Gr.3, Coolmore Vintage Crop Stakes, Navan, Gr.3, Sir Henry Cecil Memorial Queen’s Vase, Ascot, Gr.3, also placed second in Palmerstown House Estate Irish St Leger, Curragh, Gr.1.

Retired to Stud in 2015, first crop now three-year-olds

Stands at: Grange Stud, Fermoy, Co Cork, Ireland

Contact: David Magnier or Albert Sherwood

Telephone: +353 25 33006

Email: info@grangestud.com

Web: www.coolmore.com

Fee: €3,000