Montjeu's classic and Gold Cup star Leading Light

LEADING LIGHT (IRE) - 2010 bay horse

The impact that the triple Group 1 star and dynasty-making stallion has had on both flat and National Hunt circles has been remarkable and so it is understandable that breeders will flock to his male line descendants, especially when those horses were racehorses of the calibre of Leading Light.

A 520,000gns yearling buy, the Aidan O'Brien trainee was an odds-on winner of the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at the Curragh on his fourth start, followed that with defeat of Feels Like Dancing in the Group 3 Queen's Vase at Royal Ascot and was not seen out again until beating that year's Oaks heroine Talent in the Group 1 St Leger at Doncaster.

He finished down the field in the Arc three weeks later but returned as a four-year-old to take the Group 3 Vintage Crop Stakes and Group 3 Curragh Cup, both times chased home by the Group 1 Irish St Leger scorer Royal Diamond, and between those two wins he narrowly beat Missunited to take the Group 1 Gold Cup at Ascot.

He chased home the runaway winner Brown Panther in the Group 1 Irish St Leger on his penultimate start, headed to Grange Stud in Co Cork a few months later and covered more mares in his first season than many popular horses do in their first few years combined: a total of 320.
 
There are some flat-bred mares as dams of his large first crop, but Leading Light is primarily a National Hunt stallion, which means that it will be the 2019/20 season before we start to see many of his early runners in action, likely in bumpers, maiden hurdles and point-to-points.

His first foals made up to €27,000.
 
He is out of Dance Parade (by Gone West), who won the Group 3 Queen Mary Stakes over five furlongs at Ascot as a two-year-old and the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes over seven at Newbury the following spring. His grandam is the pattern-placed Italian stakes winner River Jig (by Irish River), a mare whose siblings include the dam of Group 1 Underwood Stakes winner and talented French stayer Always Aloof (by Alleged).
 
As one might expect, he has a lot of progeny who are inbred to Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer). Many also show inbreeding to Nijinsky (by Northern Dancer) and to Top Ville (by High Top), and the presence of Always Aloof in his family shows that Alleged (by Hoist The Flag) clicked with his family.
 
Whether that matters at all within the National Hunt context is open to debate, and Leading Light's appeal and potential as a sire of hurdlers and chasers stems from his top-class racing record, his physique and his sire line.

LEADING LIGHT (IRE) – b.2010 – Montjeu – Dance Parade, 8 wins inc Gold Cup (Gr1), St Leger (Gr1), Gallinule Stakes (Gr3), St Leger Trial (Gr3), Vintage Crop Stakes (Gr3), Queen's Vase (Gr3), 2nd Irish St Leger (Gr1). Sire in Ireland. First foals in 2016.

YEARLINGS CATALOGUED:
bf - Annellis (by Diesis)     Goffs     Oct     not sold
chg - Another Flower (by Presenting)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     €8,500
bc - Ask Sally (by Definite Article)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €5,000
bf - Belle Rebelle (by In The Wings)     Goffs     Dec     €1,200
bf - Blackwater Babe (by Arctic Lord)     Goffs     Feb     withdrawn
bf - Caoba (by Hernando)     Goffs UK     Jan     not sold
bc - Castle Jane (by Westerner)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €18,000
bc - Chapel Queen (by Jolly Jake)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €5,500
bg - Chapel Queen (by Jolly Jake)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     not sold
bf - Christmas Kate (by Kris Kin)     Goffs     Oct     ​€3,000
bc - Claras Mighty (by Shantou)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan      €15,500
bc - Come The Dawn (by Gunner B)     Goffs UK     Jan      £11,000
bf - Definite Lady (by Definite Article)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €600
bc - Fantasia Filly (by Dadarissime)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €1,200
bg - Fantasia Filly (by Dadarissime)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     €3,000 (p/s)
chc - Gee Whizz (by Turgeon)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan      not sold
chf - Have More (by Haafhd)     Goffs     Feb     not sold
chf - Just Cassandra (by Eurobus)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
chf - Just Cassandra (by Eurobus)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     not sold
bf - Labeille (by Laveron)     Goffs     Feb     withdrawn
bc - Liss Rua (by Bob Back)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
bc - Material Leader (by Supreme Leader)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €14,500
bf - Milanella (by Milan)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
chg - Milly's Gesture (by Milan)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     €30,000
bg - Morning Breeze (by Bigstone)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     €9,000
chc - Mullagh Abu (by Mull Of Kintyre)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
chc - Princess Oriane (by Manduro)     Goffs UK     Jan     not sold
bg - Queen Of Cool (by King's Theatre)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     €15,500
bc - Reconsider Baby (by Refuse To Bend)     Tattersalls IRE     Sept     
bc - Sea Jewel (by Flemensfirth)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     €5,200
bf - Sheadogue Molly (by Oscar)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
bc - Strong Roe (by Vinnie Roe)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
bg - Tax Evasion (by Anshan)     Tattersalls IRE     Nov     not sold
bc - Taxie Lady (by Flemensfirth)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold
bc - Threads Of Destiny (by Oscar)     Tattersalls IRE     Jan     not sold