KINGSTON, Jamaica - Leading Lad, running with the figure 8 on, brushed aside rivals in a Maiden Special Weight event for native-bred three-year-olds over 8½ furlongs (1,700m).
Trained by Anthony Nunes and ridden by Matthew Bennett, Leading Lad was off to a good start at the break as the chestnut colt settled in second position behind Bad Investment (Javaniel Patterson) leaving the intersection at the 7-furlong (1,400m) pole.
Leading Lad maintained his gallop well down the backstretch until approaching the half-mile (800m) turn when he surged to the front full of running ahead of Life Is Life (Oshane Nugent) and Bad Investment.
Turning for home with a strong lead, Leading Lad was not for the catching deep stretch going on to win by three lengths at the wire in a time of 1:50.4 (23.3 x 47.4 x 1:14.1 x 1:42.4). Joblane (Dane Dawkins) came on strong in deep stretch to get second place ahead of Life Is Life, who finished fourth.
