Yulong to stand Lucky Vega in Australia
Yulong Investments will look to stand their Irish Group 1-winning two-year-old Lucky Vega (Lope De Vega) on the roster at their Nagambie farm in Victoria this year.
Trained by Jessica Harrington in Ireland, Lucky Vega was an impressive winner of the stallion-making Phoenix Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at the Curragh in 2020, winning by a three-and-a-half-length margin from Group 2 winner Aloha Star (Starspangledbanner) and Royal Ascot-winning two-year-old, The Lir Jet (Prince Of Lir).
The son of Lope De Vega (Shamardal) ended his two-year-old campaign by running second in the Middle Park Stakes (Gr 1, 6f) at Newmarket, while he also finished an unlucky fifth when penned on the fence in the Vincent O’Brien National Stakes (Gr 1, 7f).
He will join current stallions Grunt (O’Reilly) and Alabama Express (Redoute’s Choice) at Yulong, while Blue Diamond Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m) winner Tagaloa (Lord Kanaloa) and Cantala Stakes (Gr 1, 1600m) winner Yulong Prince (Gimmethegreenlight) will also be added to their roster this year.
Speaking to ANZ Bloodstock News yesterday Sam Fairgray, chief operating officer for Yulong, said it was an exciting time for the operation, with Lucky Vega being the first son of Lope De Vega to stand in Australia since the Ballylinch Stud stallion ceased shuttle duties after the 2014 season.
“It’s not definite as yet, but it’s likely that he’ll come for this coming breeding season,” said Fairgray. “He’ll have a couple of runs and then it will depend on how he’s going as to whether he comes this season or not, but I’d say it’s highly likely that he’ll come this season.
“We have Tagaloa racing in the Australian Guineas tomorrow and he’ll most likely retire this year and we have another horse, Yulong Prince, who won his Group 1 on Derby day over a mile here, he’s a South African-bred horse and will also retire to Yulong this year.”
Fairgray said it was unlikely Lucky Vega, a €175,000 (approx. AU$275,000) yearling purchase out of the Goffs Orby Sale, would race in Australia, despite Yulong holding one of the 12 Everest (1200m) slots to be filled for the spring spectacle, worth a staggering $15 million, while adding the operation has been in conversations with several farms on the prospect of Lucky Vega shuttling to the northern hemisphere following his on-track retirement.
“I would say he’d be a reverse shuttler and do dual hemispheres,” said Fairgray. “We haven’t locked into any farms. There’s been interest from a couple of farms to stand him.
“We’ll just sort of wait and see what happens in his couple of runs (this year) and then when he retires.
“It’s not on the agenda at this stage (to bring him to Australia). Mr Zhang has an Everest slot, but that goes on into the middle of the breeding season. So, timing wise, if he did race on for another year then, yes, it’s a possibility. But he’s a Group 1-winning two-year-old and the Australian industry loves that sort of horse.”
Lucky Vega’s sire, Lope De Vega, covered four books of mares, the first two years at $27,500 before having his fee reduced to $22,000, when shuttling to Patinack Farm in Australia between 2011 and 2014, resulting in a plethora of high-class performers on track, including five-time Group 1 winner Santa Ana Lane, dual Group 1 winner Vega Magic and Lightning Stakes (Gr 1, 1000m) winner Gytrash.
“To not have (Lope De Vega) back, with the success of those horses, it’s been disappointing that he hasn’t come back. But it’s great that we’re able to bring one of his better sons down here,” said Fairgray.
“There’s Belardo in New Zealand with his first two-year-olds, and they’re going well, but definitely, there’s an opportunity here for us to fill the gap of Lope De Vega in Australia. It’s exciting.
“I think Australian breeders will definitely recognise his racetrack performance but, also, being a son of Lope De Vega, he’s had a couple of very, very good sprinters here the last couple of years in Santa Ana Lane and Gytrash so, with all the Danehill sire-line mares here in Australia, he’ll be very popular.
“He’s a good looking horse as well which will go down well with the breeders.”
Yulong have been long-term supporters of Lope De Vega and, in addition to sending a group of mares to the stallion to be covered on southern hemisphere time last year, purchased Group 1 winner Viddora (I Am Invincible) in foal to the stallion for $2.25 million at last year’s Magic Millions National Broodmare Sale.
“We’ve got three weanlings here by him, and we’ve also just brought a couple of mares back to Australia who are in foal to him, so we saw the opportunity – the proven, successful stallion that he is – to offer some of his offspring in the market place and it’s a good model for us to try.
“Viddora was a very good sprinting mare in Australia and it’s great that we were able to purchase her and add her to our broodmare band.”
It’s a band Yulong have expanded over the last few years, and that is reflected in their offering for the upcoming Inglis Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale, which features 22 lots to be sold at Oaklands from Sunday.
“It’s our biggest draft at Premier. As our broodmare numbers have grown year-on-year, so has our yearling offerings,” said Fairgray. “We have about 230 mares on the farm now.
“Taking a group of yearlings into a sale like this – we’ve got a Fastnet Rock, Written Tycoon, Zoustar of the proven mould and then there’s some from the young guns coming through like Shalaa and Capitalist – it’s really nice bunch of horses that have all been really well received.”
Fairgray was at pains to mention a son of Siyouni (Pivotal) from the family of Ranvet Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m) runner-up Carlton House (Street Cry), which features among the high-quality consignment of yearlings for the Premier sale, an auction Fairgray says Yulong have targeted with some of their better yearling offerings.
“He’s a really big, strong sort of colt,” Fairgray said of the Siyouni colt out of the stakes-placed Bouquet de Flores (Street Cry), catalogued as Lot 524. “He’s been very popular and is really interesting to take into the sales.
“Siyouni has done really well with his couple of runners in Australia, he’s had a couple of runners in the Golden Slipper, so he’s a colt that I’m sure will attract plenty of attention.
“Because it’s our home base we want to support it with some really nice horses. It was definitely the idea that we’re taking nice horses to the Melbourne sale and the feedback that we’ve got on our draft has been really positive.
“You get the flow-on effects from bringing these nice horses into the Victorian sale.”