Group 1-winning 2-year-old and Classic-placed 3-year-old Lucky Vega (Ire) (Lope De Vega {Ire}-Queen Of Carthage, by Cape Cross {Ire}) will stand the Northern Hemisphere season at the Irish National Stud in 2022. He is currently serving his first book at Yulong Stud in Australia.
Purchased by Yuesheng Zhang's Yulong Investments for €175,000 at the 2019 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale, Lucky Vega was a debut maiden winner at Naas last June for trainer Jessica Harrington. He won the G1 Phoenix S. in his third start, becoming the only son of Lope De Vega to win a 2-year-old Group 1 over six furlongs while defeating St Mark's Basilica (Fr) (Siyouni {Fr}), and wrapped up his campaign with a second in the G1 Middle Park S. Lucky Vega finished third in this year's G1 2000 Guineas and fourth in the G1 Irish 2000 Guineas, and was retired after finishing second in the G1 St James's Palace S.
Lucky Vega is one of three winners out of Queen Of Carthage, herself a daughter of the G1 Prix de l'Opera winner Satwa Queen (Fr) (Muhtathir {GB}). Zhang reaffirmed his faith in the family when spending €630,000 on Lucky Vega's half-brother by Footstepsinthesand (GB) at the recent Goffs Orby yearling sale.
Irish National Stud Chief Executive Officer Cathal Beale said, “this is a great opportunity for the INS to offer our breeders a stallion with all the attributes they are looking for. He was fast and precocious, trained on at three and is a horse with excellent movement and presence. He is by the great Lope De Vega, who was the leading grossing stallion at Tattersalls Book 1 this year. His granddam was a Group 1 winner and his yearling brother looks exceptional, selling for €630,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale.”
Trainer Jessica Harrington added, “Lucky Vega was always a pleasure to train and took his work very well. He had great balance, power and speed. I look forward to training his sons and daughters and I think he has all the credentials to make into a high-class stallion.”
A fee will be announced at a later date.
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