Wathnan Racing’s Kentucky-bred Leading Change defeated a stellar field of top 3-year-olds to take this year’s Travers Stakes (G1) at Saratoga.
Trained by Brad Cox, the blossoming Leading Change has made a rapid ascent to the upper echelon of his generation. The son of Gun Runner made his career bow just 12 weeks ago with an open-lengths graduation in June at Churchill Downs and entered the Travers from a neck victory in the Indiana Derby (G3) on July 11 at Horseshoe Indianapolis where he faced winners and tried two turns for the first time.
“We’ve always thought he was a big-time talent,” said Cox, who celebrated his second Travers victory following Essential Quality’s win in 2021. “He showed it before today in his first two starts and he was able to get it done today. I said coming into it that he’s light on seasoning, but we were hoping he could make up for it with talent, and he was able to do it.”
In the Travers, Leading Change faced a stacked group of nine well-seasoned rivals but ran like a consummate professional in the victory under jockey Manny Franco.
“All I can say is, ‘wow,’” an emotional Franco said moments after the race. “I just want to say thanks to Brad Cox, the owners, my agent John Panagot. This is amazing. And the horse, he deserved this. I had the trip that I wanted. I wanted to wait behind those two horses and by the three-eighths pole, he jumped on the bridle and I said, ‘oh boy, OK.’ It was a matter of getting to the outside and when he hit the outside, he leveled off and he was game.”
Leading Change Living Up to His Billing
A son of Gun Runner, Leading Change is out of the Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed and was bred in Kentucky WinStar Farm. He was an $800,000 of the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale and is a half-brother to Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil.
Case Clay, racing manager for Wathnan Racing, said what Leading Change lacked in experience, he made up for with raw talent.
“He had to win on talent over seasoning. He’s not as seasoned as the other horses. If he was going to win today, it was going to be on talent,” Clay said. “Yes, physically he is a stretchy, two-turn, big, good looking horse that looks like he could have gotten 10 furlongs. So, the day after the Belmont, he won the seven-furlong race at Churchill Downs, then Brad thought, ‘let’s go to the Indiana Derby, first time around two turns, see if that works, and then 10 furlongs,’ so he won on talent over seasoning today.”