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 Comments are closed.
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