Leading Change Aces Class Jump in Indiana Derby

It was 2024 when Wathnan Racing made its big splash in America, privately buying up several proven stakes horses to showcase the peacock blue silks with old gold sleeves and a red cap. That model proved quite successful when Hit Show went on to take the Dubai World Cup (G1) the following spring. However, the team that supports the Emir of Qatar, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was also busy gathering its own group of youngsters at the yearling sale, aiming to prove it could also spot talent early and develop it. Their 2024 yearling purchases produced Commandment, winner of the Florida Derby (G1) and runner-up in the Belmont Stakes (G1) this spring, and it appears to have another star in the making in Leading Change. The 3-year-old Gun Runner colt backed up an impressive 6 1/2-length debut win last month by jumping immediately into graded company July 11 in the $300,000 Indiana Derby (G3) and outfinishing a well-seasoned and stakes-proven Our Moneyman by a neck. "We started off buying 'made' horses to just try and get some action going," Wathnan racing manager Case Clay said. "It's rewarding. It's nice to see this yearling crop from the 2024 sales come to fruition." The move up to the stakes level in his second start was one trainer Brad Cox admitted was unusual for him to make with a one-start colt midway through his sophomore campaign. Still, the option at Horseshoe Indianapolis gave Cox the opportunity to stretch Leading Change around two turns after his 7-furlong debut win at Churchill Downs June 7 and stay against 3-year-olds. Both allowance races he considered at Saratoga Race Course and Ellis Park would require running him over a turn-and-a-half mile against older horses. Further, the talented colt had been holding his own against stablemate Commandment in his morning training, giving Cox, Wathnan, and jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. the confidence they needed Saturday. "There was a lot of the unknown with this," Cox said. "Working with Commandment helps. His work last week with Commandment was a really good move. When you have other horses in the barn, you can kind of test them a little bit. That sometimes can give you a line and give you confidence." Breaking from the outside in the six-horse field, Ortiz worked Leading Change into stalking position as he kept Out of the Woods company behind fractions of :23.40, :46.42, and 1:10.16. He drew even with that rival as they approached the quarter-pole, but Out of the Woods hung tough. Then, on the outside, Our Moneyman mounted a rally after hopping at the break and starting last. The two dueled late, but Leading Change refused to yield against his more experienced rival, whose rider, Axel Concepcion, dropped his riding crop with about a sixteenth of a mile remaining, Leading Change completed 1 1/16 miles on a fast track in 1:41.36 and paid $3 to win. Out of the Woods held third. "I'm so happy to see him in the winner's circle," Ortiz said. "He's been so nice in the mornings, so we're very high on him. We were high on him since day one." Adding the graded win justified all the early expectations his connections have had since purchasing the colt for $800,000 from the Taylor Made Sales Agency consignment at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. He had been entered to start in October at Keeneland, but was scratched the day of with bone bruising. They then gave him the proper time needed to mount a comeback. After the Indiana Derby, Clay said, "We can dream a little bit. Hopefully, he races for a long time. It's nice to get a graded stakes here in his second start." Those expectations haven't dwindled in any of the team, with Cox, who won his fourth Indiana Derby since 2020, saying that a grade 1 target could be next in either the $1.25 million Travers Stakes (G1) Aug. 29 at Saratoga or the $1 million Pennsylvania Derby (G1) Sept. 19 at Parx Racing. "He stayed on well and to dig down that last bit, keep his head in front, shows his talent, class, and determination," Cox said. "We do think he's a big-time horse." Bred by WinStar Farm, Leading Change is the eighth graded winner for Gun Runner this year, who stood the 2026 season at Three Chimneys Farm for a $250,000 fee. Leading Change is out of the winning Congrats mare Starship Warpspeed, making him a half brother to Cox's first Kentucky Oaks (G1) winner Shedaresthedevil (Daredevil). "That mare has been very good to us," Cox said. "She's been very good to our team."