Leading Light (foaled 6 March 2010) is an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old, he was well-beaten in his first race before winning a maiden race. In 2013, he established himself as a leading stayer, winning his first four races, including the Gallinule Stakes, the Queen's Vase, and the classic St Leger Stakes. As a four-year-old, he won the Vintage Crop Stakes before winning the Ascot Gold Cup.
Background
Leading Light is a bay horse with a broad white blaze and a white coronet on his right foreleg bred in Ireland by Lynch-Bages Ltd. He is one of many top-class horses sired by Montjeu. Others include the Derby winners Motivator, Authorized, Pour Moi and Camelot, the St Leger winners Scorpion and Masked Marvel, and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe winner Hurricane Run. Leading Light's dam Dance parade was a top-class racemare whose wins included the Queen Mary Stakes and the Fred Darling Stakes.
In October 2011, the yearling was consigned by the Glenvale Stud to the Tattersalls sales at Newmarket. He was bought for 520,000 guineas by the bloodstock agent Dermot "Demi" O'Byrne, acting on behalf of John Magnier's Coolmore organisation. He was sent into training with Aidan O'Brien at Ballydoyle. Like many Coolmore horses, the details of Leading Light's ownership change from race to race. He has sometimes been registered as being owned by Derrick Smith, while on other occasions he races for the partnership of Smith, Susan Magnier and Michael Tabor.
Racing career
2012: two-year-old season
Leading Light made his racecourse debut in a one-mile maiden race at Galway Racecourse on 4 August 2012. Ridden by Seamie Heffernan, he started at odds of 100/30 and finished fourth of the five runners, fifteen lengths behind the winner, Sugar Boy. After a break of two months, Leading Light reappeared in a nine-furlong maiden race on heavy ground at Tipperary Racecourse where he was ridden by Kevin Manning. Starting favourite against eight opponents, he took the lead inside the final furlong and won by one and a half lengths from Silky Pyrus.
2013: three-year-old season
Leading Light made his first appearance as a three-year-old in a minor race over ten furlongs at Navan Racecourse on 7 May. Ridden for the first time by Joseph O'Brien, he led from the start and drew clear in the last quarter mile to win by seven lengths from the favourite Dibayani. Nineteen days later, the colt was moved up in class for the Group Three Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh. He led for most of the race and won by two and a quarter lengths from Little White Cloud. Leading Light was then sent to England and moved up in distance for the Queen's Vase over two miles at Royal Ascot. Starting the 5/4 favourite, he took the lead in the straight and held the persistent challenge of the 20/1 outsider Feel Like Dancing to win by one and a half lengths. After the race, Joseph O'Brien said, "I was a bit worried about the trip. He's very relaxed and has a great attitude, when you get stuck into him he fights. He's very idle and was always just doing enough."
On 14 September, Leading Light was one of eleven three-year-olds to contest the 237th running of the St Leger over fourteen and a half furlongs at Doncaster Racecourse. He was made the 7/2 favourite ahead of a field which included the filly Talent, winner of The Oaks and the colts Galileo Rock and Libertarian who had finished second and third in The Derby. O'Brien settled the colt in second place behind Cap o'Rushes before moving into the lead in the straight. He stayed on strongly in the closing stages to win by one and a quarter lengths and three-quarters of a length from Talent and Galileo Rock. O'Brien said: "he jumped a bit slowly and I could see a couple of horses going forward. I knew we weren't going to go much of a gallop, so I gave mine a kick just to get up there. I knew if I didn't hit him until a furlong and a half out he would win". Commenting on the colt's future, John Magnier said, "We will look at the Arc now – he's got plenty of speed. We will talk about that."
On 3 October, Leading Light's owners paid a supplementary fee of €100,000 to enter the horse in the Arc de Triomphe. In the race on 6 October, the colt was never in contention and eventually finished twelfth of the seventeen runners behind Treve.