A TOP-class international performer who won the German Derby as well as a Graded stakes in the USA, Lucky Speed is standing his first stud season this year at Michael Hickey’s Sunnyhill Stud in Co Kildare, where European champion Doyen is also at stud. Lucky Speed was only once out of the first four in 11 starts, earning about €630,000, and his outcross pedigree should make him even more popular with Irish breeders.
Trained by Peter Schiergen for his owner-breeders, Gestut Ittlingen, Lucky Speed won a minor race at Cologne first time out as a three-year-old, then was second in the Group 3 Fruhjahrs Preis at Frankfurt before winning the Group 3 Bavarian Classic over 10 furlongs at Munich in May.
He had 18 opponents in the Group 1 Deutsches Derby at Hamburg early in July, but he scored comfortably by three-quarters of a length from Tres Blue in the fastest time for this mile and a half classic since 1999.
That completed Lucky Speed’s first racing season and he was later named the champion three-year-old in Germany over middle distances.
Reappearing as a four-year-old in a Group 2 event at Baden-Baden, Lucky Speed was third and then he took fourth prize in the Group 2 Hansa Preis at Hamburg and was third in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin, from four starts that season. He resumed his winning ways at five years, when his three starts were all in North America, scoring in the Grade 3 American St Leger Stakes at Arlington in a new course record time, as well as being fourth at Woodbine in Canada in both the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes and the Grade 2 Nijinsky Stakes. All but one of his eleven lifetime starts had been in group races and he was only once unplaced.
Lucky Speed is a striking dark bay horse standing 16.2 hands and he has a very interesting pedigree. His sire Silvano was the champion older horse in Germany in 2001 and he was a top winner in four countries, with successes including the Grade 1 Arlington Million, the Grade 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup in Hong Kong, two Group 2 wins in Germany and the Listed Singapore Cup. Silvano, who is by Niniski’s son Lomitas out of an American mare, is sire of around 20 blacktype winners, many of them in South Africa.
Lysuna, the dam of Lucky Speed, is a daughter of Germany’s champion sire Monsun. She won three times in Germany and was second in a Group 3 race at Hamburg, before producing five winners, one of which, Lyvius, scored in a listed hurdle at Newbury. Lysuna’s grandam La Luna was a winning own-sister to the very successful French sire Bellypha, the grandsire of Linamix.
Sunnyhill Stud has an outstanding record of standing Grade 1 producing sires and Lucky SPeed in an exceptional new addition to the Irish stallion ranks for 2016.
Top rated 3yr old in Germany in 2013 (11-13f.). Won four races, £452,731, from 1 mile 2 furlongs to 1 mile 5½ furlongs, 3 to 5 years including, Sparda Deutsches Derby, Hamburg, Gr.1, American St Leger Stakes, Arlington, Gr.3, onextwo.com Bavarian Classic, Munich, Gr.3, also placed second in Fruhjahrs-Preis des Bankhauses Metzler, Frankfurt, Gr.3, and third in Grosser Preis von Berlin, Berlin-Hoppegarten, Gr.1, G. P. der Badischen Unternehmer Rennen, Baden-Baden, Gr.2. Retires to stud in 2016.
Stands at: Sunnyhill Stud, Kilcullen, Co Kildare, Ireland
Contact: Michael Hickey
Telephone: +353 (0) 45 481201 or (mobile) 87 2500686
Email: sunnyhillstud@eircom.net
Website: www.sunnyhillstud.com
Fee: On application