LEADING Light was a top-class performer who won eight of his 12 lifetime starts and was the 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 and his first crop are now five-year-olds. Several are already winners, including Light Brigade (twice), Limestone Rock and Game Socks, with Zoom Zoom Zoe scoring twice in the USA.
After winning as a two-year-old at Tipperary in October, Leading Light ran up a sequence of five wins the next season, first at Navan and then three weeks later in the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. In June he faced 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 Stakes at Doncaster, going to the front early in the straight and coming home a length clear of Epsom Oaks heroine Talent.
In the World Rankings of that year Leading Light was the champion three-year-old stayer in Europe.
The following year Leading Light once again began his season at Navan 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 at Royal Ascot, holding off the previous year’s winner Estimate, and then he completed his hat-trick in the Irish St Leger Trial Stakes.
In the Group 1 Irish St Leger he had to be content with second prize behind the Group 1 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 dual 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, the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes at Newbury and the Grade 2 Buena Vista Stakes at Santa Anita.
LEADING LIGHT (IRE), Bay 2010. 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, and sire of the winners of 7 races, and £84,213 under N.H. Rules.
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