Class Leader Takes His Two-Turn Debut at Fair Grounds

7th-FGX, $40,000, Msw, 3yo, 1m70y, 1:43 1/5, ft. 
CLASS LEADER (c, 3, Smart Strike–Class Kris {MGSW, $582,129}, by Kris S.) had just one previous start under his belt, a distant sixth in a six-furlong Churchill maiden which had subsequently produced the likes of Sugar Bowl S. 1-2 finishers Albano (Istan) and Be Well (Harlan’s Holiday). Trying a route of ground as a 6-1 chance, the homebred landed in third as favored General Ike (Quiet American) and first-time blinkered Irish You Well (Broken Vow) eyeballed each other up front. Those two dueled into the final furlong, but Class Leader had dead aim and rolled on by to best Irish You Well by 1 1/2 lengths. General Ike was third, while the debuting Prominence (Empire Maker) struggled in fifth. The winner is a half to Gradepoint (A.P. Indy), GSW, $144,285; and 3/4 to Student Council (Kingmambo), GISW, $1,567,731. Sales history: $185,000 RNA yrl ’12 KEESEP. Lifetime Record: 2-1-0-0, $24,192. Click for the brisnet.com chart orVIDEO. 
O-Lane’s End Racing. B-W S Farish (KY). T-Neil J Howard.