Hong Kong Derby winner Lucky Owners has run his last race following owner Leung Kai-fai's announcement that a deal had been struck to stand the son of Danehill at Australia's Widden Stud.
The deal, which values Lucky Owners at A$12.5 million (HK$67.45 million), will see the Hong Kong Mile and Derby winner retired immediately to stand at a service fee of A$20,000 in his first breeding season later this year. 'I will be sorry to see him go,' said trainer Tony Cruz. 'He was a great horse, he never missed a cheque and Mr Leung has no other option than to capitalise on the horse's stud value.'
Lucky Owners has been a jackpot lottery win for Leung, who bought the horse at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale for A$350,000. Lucky Owners has since reached career stake earnings of $27.7 million. 'He has had a great career and we are satisfied with the stud arrangements,' said Leung, who has retained 50 per cent of Lucky Owners, including a 5 per cent interest promised to Cruz and 2 per cent to jockey Felix Coetzee.
'And I will also sell some shares in the horse to my friends.'
Leung suggested that one of the first mares to be booked for Lucky Owners may be Have Love, the dam of promising Triumphant Unicorn which Leung also bought in Sydney. The Jockey Club's executive director of racing, Winfried Englebrecht-Bresges, said the purchase of Lucky Owners for stud marked a serious upgrade in overseas perceptions of Hong Kong racing.
'We are very proud that Hong Kong racing has created this kind of stud value from this horse of exceptional quality,' he said. 'Hong Kong racing will continue to support Lucky Owners when he is at stud.'