January 6th, 2008

At Randwick on Saturday, former champion Hong Kong miler Lucky Owners was represented by his first winner when Soho Secret pulled off a plunge to score a gutsy win in the Bacardi Breezer Hcp (1000m).  In doing so she gave her trainer David Payne his third win from as many juvenile races held this season in New South Wales.

The race had seven-starters and with five of them making their debut, Soho Secret looked well placed in the event with barrier three and the benefit of a run under her belt.  Ridden by Jeff Lloyd, the bay filly was slowly away from the barriers and Lloyd worked hard to get her into a handy position in the early part of the race into third.  Rounding the home turn kindly as Princess Natural (Danehill Dancer - Natural Is My Name by Naturalism) began to hang, Soho Secret got the ideal drag into the race and quickly claimed the early leader, War On Everything (Desert Prince - Flying Mahal by Flying Spur).  In the run to the line under hard riding she steeped up a gear to claim her maiden victory by a half-neck from Over The Wicket (Over - Golf Circuit by Groucho), who got home well late, with Hangover Henry (Half Hennessy - See the Stars by Mr Henrysee), closing late, another head away in third.  Another daughter of  Lucky Owners, Iron Lady (ex Grand Union by Grand Lodge) did best of the rest in fourth.

Payne told Richard Callander of TVN, “She’s very talented, but also very immature so we’ll put her out for a break now.” 

While most trainers are eyeing the Golden Slipper with their two-year-olds, Payne is thinking further ahead. 

"This filly will be a much better three-year-old and the Flight Stakes in the spring is the race we are looking at," Payne said. 

"If she looks like she'll measure up to the Slipper then of course we will consider it but really her future is later over longer races. 

"I was very pleased with how she rallied today after she missed the start and she will learn a lot from that." 

Soho Secret was bred and retained to race by the Lucky Owners Syndicate managed by Mr Leung, who raced Lucky Owners with great success in Hong Kong before his retirement to Widden Stud in 2004.

Soho Secret  is a half-sister to Group Two winners Sportsman (by Supremo) and Prisoner of Love (by Canny Lad) as well as stakes-winner King of Prussia (by Anabaa) being from the outstanding producer Professionelle (by Centaine).

Professionelle was bought by Leung at the 2004 Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale for $525,000 with the specific intent of sending her to Lucky Owners.

In foal to Danehill Dancer at that time, she subsequently produced a colt from the mating, which sold at the 2006 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling Sale for $750,000.

Her next foal was Soho Secret, so it’s been a phenomenal result for Mr Leung who who also has a yearling full sister to Soho Secret and a filly foal from the mare by Redoute’s Choice.

By legendary sire of sires Danehill (USA) from a three-quarter sister to champion racehorse Might and Power, Lucky Owners was rated the Champion Miler of Hong Kong, so his progeny can only be expected to get better with time.

Lucky Owners' will be represented by three yearlings in the New Zealand Bloodstock Select Sale, January 30th until February 1st, he has another on offer at the WA Magic Millions Perth Yearling Sale (Feb 15-22nd) and another two at the William Inglis Premier Yearling Sale (March 1st-6th).

March 18th, 2007

STALLIONS continues its series of profiles of horses whose progeny are for sale for the first time at public auction this year.

Among them is Lucky Owners.

“A potent recipe for success” is how Widden Stud’s Antony Thompson described the pedigree and performance of Lucky Owners, a Danehill son who retired to the famous valley in 2004.

Lucky Owners, was conceived in NSW, born in New Zealand and raced in Hong Kong, making him a perfect example of the internationalism that is changing the face of racing and breeding worldwide.

The winner of the Group I International Mile in Hong Kong, Lucky Owners is by Danehill, a sire that has been the champion Australian sire seven times and a leading sire in Europe. He is from a mare, Miss Priority (by Kaapstad) who is a three-quarter sister to dual Australian Horse of the Year Might And Power and a half-sister to the dual stakes winning, Matter Of 
Honour and Listed winner, Bastet.

Lucky Owners was purchased at the Inglis Easter Yearling sale for $350,000 to be raced by Mr and Mrs Leung Kai Fai. He carved his name deeply into Hong Kong racing history as he combined with the formidable trainer-jockey partnership of Tony Cruz and Felix Coetzee. He was the first horse sufficiently tough to complete the daunting Hong Kong Mile – Mercedes Benz Hong Kong Derby double in the same season.

After his superb International Mile victory Cruz predicted Lucky Owners would only continue to improve and in March he duly captured the Derby at Sha Tin in similar commanding fashion from the highest-rated field assembled for the classic.

Upon his retirement Cruz remarked: “I’m sorry to see him go. He was a great horse - he never missed a cheque.”

Lucky Owners fulfils everything mare owners would look for as well as being a son of Danehill he is the product of the powerful Danehill-Sir Tristram nick and his dam Miss Priority is a proven producer.

Along with Lucky Owners, Miss Priority has left the listed winner of five races, Miss Power Bird (Mukaddamah), the five-time winner, Speeding Turtle (by Turtle Island), and the metropolitan winning, Sumehra (by Stravinsky).

Miss Priority is out of Benediction (Day Is Done – Cathedra by So Blessed) the dam of seven foals that include the Casual Lies gelding, Matter Of Honour, whose seven wins included the Group 3 Yallambee Stud Stakes and the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes. The French stakes-winning Giant’s Causeway filly, Bastet and the French stakes placed Buenos Aires (by Rainbow Quest) and the Group I WS Cox Plate, Melbourne Cup, Caulfield Cup, Doomben Cup, Queen Elizabeth Stakes and Mercedes Classic winner, Might And Power (by 
Zabeel).

Benediction’s dam Cathedra is a half-sister to the stakes winner and former New Zealand sire Cry Baby and she is a daughter of the Park Hill Stakes winner Collyria (Arctic Prince - Eyewash by Blue Peter), a great-grandaughter of Selene (by Chaucer), dam of the influential sires Hyperion, Sickle, Pharamond and Hunter’s Moon.

Lucky Owners has three yearlings catalogued for sale at the Australian Easter Yearling sale (April 10 – 12).