front runner

Or front-runner,

noun

1. a person who leads in any competition.

2. an entrant in a race who breaks to the front immediately and establishes the pace for the field.

3. an entrant in a race who performs well only when ahead of the field.

Word History and Origins

Origin of front runner¹

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

Example Sentences

It is one of the most competitive selections for Labour in which Owain Williams was thought by some to be a bit of a front runner.

From BBC

With Kamala Harris out of the California governor’s race, other candidates are jockeying to be seen as the new front runner.

From Los Angeles Times

The other was the vigorous argument between abstraction and figuration as front runner of the avant-garde, then being hard-fought in the American art world.

From Los Angeles Times

Vape and battery maker Supreme is front runner to buy Typhoo, the BBC understands.

From BBC

The first two leadership ballots of Conservative MPs made him the front runner in the race to succeed Rishi Sunak.

From BBC