Louis Needed No Luck

Date: 13 Jan 2019

Louis Needed No Luck

 

 

Debutante Louis Luck (2 g Dissident - My Option, by Belong to Me) strengthened the Karaka Million hand for Te Akau trainer Jamie Richards when winning the $30,000 Wellington Cup Day Next Saturday 2YO 1200 metres on Saturday 12 January at Trentham.

Richards produced Aotea Lad (Savabeel) to win the Wakefield Stakes (Gr. 2, 1100m) on the same course in December, and following another eye-catching effort for second in the Eclipse Stakes (Gr. 3, 1200m) on 1 January at Ellerslie, he sits on top in the Karaka Million Order of Entry with $76,150 in prize money.

Richards also has debut winner Yourdeel (Dundeel) and three time runner-up Challa (Dissident) firmly in the Karaka Million mix, along with impressive Ellerslie winner Probabeel (Savabeel) who shares the same ownership as Louis Luck: Cambridge Stud proprietors Brendan Lindsay MNZM and Jo Lindsay.

In TAB futures betting, Aotea Lad ($4.60) and Probabeel ($4.80) are firm considerations in the eyes of bookmakers, while the win by Louis Luck prompted a $9.00 quote to rate alongside Yourdeel ($8.50).

Having trialled well for two seconds in November, Louis Luck took advantage of the coveted one draw to rally through in front for rider Opie Bosson. With favourite The Fugitive (Wanted) to his outer, a match race appeared evident but it was the first starter, rather than the race winner, that proved more professional in drawing out to win stylishly.

On Dead4 footing, described by Bosson as: “Perfect, with a nice sole of grass and should suit everything”, Louis Luck ran the 1200 metres in 1:08.6 and returned $3.10 & $1.30 on the tote.

“He jumped and put himself in the race, and travelled nice,” Bosson said. “He got a little bit lost before we turned in - got on the wrong leg a few times - but he stuck up a good gallop. When he (The Fugitive) first came up beside me I was a little bit worried, but once mine balanced up he came up underneath me, so I was pretty confident.”

On hand at Trentham, Te Akau stable foreman Mason Stevens said: “That was pretty smart on debut, especially with that other horse (The Fugitive) in the race that had been there and won, and a big thrill to have another winner for Cambridge Stud.

“His work at home had been first-class and the team was pretty confident, but it was hard to be confident with the other horse in the race. He's done it well and all going well he'll go to the Karaka Million in a couple of week's time.”

“It was a good effort by the team to get him to the races in such good order,” Richards said. “He's had a few little immaturity holdups, but he's really stepped up. He's eaten well, worked well, and we were quietly confident he'd give a good account of himself after the way he worked with Probabeel on Tuesday morning.

“I'd like to thank Brendan and Jo for their continued support, and Henry (Plumptre) lets us take our time and nothing is ever a problem. We can pick and choose where we want to head which makes it a lot easier from a training perspective and we can let the horses tell us when they're ready.”

Louis Luck is the first foal from a dual Group Three winner of five races - two as a two-year-old - from 1200m to 1800m in the U.S.A, from the first crop of Australian Horse of the Year, five-time Group One winner, Dissident (Sebring). Trained by Peter Moody, Dissident was known for his exceptionally tough qualities when winning from 1000 metres to 1600 metres.

While stable-mate Challa has gone very close to winning on a couple of occasions, Louis Luck provided Newgate stallion Dissident with his first winner.

“Jamie (Richards) has done a great job with the horses that Brendan and Jo Lindsay have given us to train,” said Te Akau principal David Ellis. “They gave us two this year and they've both qualified for the Karaka Million.

“I bought Probabeel for them and Henry Plumptre bought Louis Luck, named after a beautiful young dog that Brendan and Jo have. Henry is world renowned as a great judge of a yearling. We were both impressed by the first crop of Dissident, at Karaka, and I bought Challa, so they've both done very well.

“What Brendan and Jo are doing at Cambridge Stud is just so exciting for everybody in the industry, with the good bloodlines they've got and the stallions they've introduced.

“Jamie has now qualified six horses for the Karaka Million and that's an unbelievable achievement for a young guy in his first season as sole trainer. It's a feat brought about by all the team. The track work riders, Opie (Bosson), they've all done a great job, and all the staff that look after these horses.

“These sorts of achievements just don't happen. They're extremely hard to achieve and they only happen because of the commitment that the staff have. And what impresses me most is that not one of these horses is an out and out two-year-old, they're all horses that will go on and be better in the autumn and even better again as three-year-olds. Jamie hasn't pushed one of them to get there and that's the secret with two-year-olds, they're doing it on natural ability,” said Ellis, who has overseen six Champion Two-Year-Olds that have all trained on.

“It's not easy to take a horse to the races and win first up, but Jamie has won with both two-year-olds on debut that he's taken to Wellington.”

Louis Luck was strapped by Meg Lambert.

 

Photo credit - www.raceimages.co.nz

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