Cambridge Stud has announced the purchase of one of the most impeccably-bred sons of champion sire Redoute's Choice to go to stud in
Following a deal negotiated by Joe Walls and Brent Thomson of New Zealand Bloodstock, Lucky Unicorn is being syndicated among a number of leading
Lucky Unicorn was raced by one of
Leung also raced
Lucky Unicorn has the distinction of becoming the first son of champion sire Redoute's Choice, the heir apparent to his sire Danehill, to join the stallion roster at Cambridge Stud.
Lucky Unicorn's strong pedigree was a major appealing factor to Sir Patrick Hogan.
Redoute's Choice, the sire of 34 individual stakes winners and this season's crack Australian filly Miss
Redoute's Choice, a four-times Group 1 winner during his racing career, is the current leading sire in
Redoute's Choice has excelled as a sire of two-year-olds with quinellas in the Golden Slipper, Blue Diamond and a trifecta in the Magic Millions on the Gold Coast. But he has also had horses gone on as three and four-year-olds winning the Oakleigh Plate, Caulfield and Thousand Guineas, VRC Oaks and a placing in the Cox Plate. His best horses have included Miss Finland, Lotteria, God's Own, Snitzel, Stratum, Fashions Afield, Nadeem, Undoubtedly, Bradbury's Luck and Cheeky Choice.
Not only is he a champion sire but Redoute's Choice comes from one of the most prolific producing families of Gr I performers, namely that of Umatilla, Hurricane Sky, Al Mahal, Platinum Scissors who are among 12 individual stakes winners who have been produced by his first two dams.
Lucky Unicorn's dam, La Bamba, is a half-sister to the Group 1 winners Masked Party (12 wins) and Festal (8 wins) and is closely related to multiple Group 1 winner and Australian champion two-year-old Dracula.
La Bamba's other foals include the
La Bamba's sire, Last Tycoon, has made his mark as a champion sire and in
Lucky Unicorn has two daughters of successful broodmare producer Best In Show - namely Show Lady (through Redoute's Choice) and Sex Appeal (through La Bamba) - in his tabulated pedigree.
There are also two daughters of champion sire Lunchtime featuring in his pedigree. These are Jesmond Lass (through her sire Redoute's Choice) and Party (through his dam La Bamba).
Also bolstering Lucky Unicorn's mouth-watering pedigree is that there are two daughters of Buckpasser - Spring Adieu (grand-dam of Danehill) and Sex Appeal (both at top and bottom of pedigree).
Sire lines which figure in Lucky Unicorn's pedigree include Redoute's Choice, Last Tycoon, Danzig, Northern Dancer, Ribot, Buckpasser (twice), Canny Lady, Bletchingly, Biscay, Star Kingdom, Lunchtime (twice), Nijinsky, Sir Ivor, Mill Reef and Never Bend.
"Pedigree wise they don't come much better than Lucky Unicorn," said Sir Patrick.
"He may not have won the Group races but I believe he does have a Group producing pedigree and I am very confident to give this horse every opportunity to prove himself as a successful sire," Sir Patrick said.
"There will be an enormous amount of mares in
"Cambridge Stud has many mares itself with the Sir Tristram/Zabeel blood which are ideal and as it is well proven that the Danehill and Redoute's Choice cross have succeeded in producing Group I winners out of the Sir Tristram line mares," he said.
Joe Walls, chairman of New Zealand Bloodstock, said Lucky Unicorn will be a significant addition to the
"He is a horse with a faultless temperament, very correct and good bone," Walls said. "His good looks and confirmation are certainly going to make a favourable impression with breeders when they inspect him," he said.
"He will provide an ideal cross for so many of
Lucky Unicorn notched up five wins during a 15-start career, which concluded last weekend, with his wins coming over distances of 1000m, 1200m, 1400m and 1600m. He raced successfully in both
Lucky Unicorn won his first three starts in
Lucky Unicorn won the Listed Chester Manifold Stakes by two lengths at Sandown in January and finished a good third in the Group 3 Carlyon Cup behind Group 1 winning Apache Cat who is among the favourites for the upcoming Doncaster Handicap.
Vasil said of Lucky Unicorn: "He's really well bred and achieved his goal of winning a stakes race in