First foal for Lucky Vega in Europe arrives at Roundhill Stud

Group 1 Phoenix Stakes winner Lucky Vega has sired his first northern hemisphere foal with the arrival of a filly at Bobby and Honora Donworth's renowned Roundhill Stud.

The bay is the first foal out of Grace And Virtue, herself a Roundhill homebred from a family that the Patrickswell nursery has nurtured.

Bobby Donworth said: "She is a high quality filly with plenty of substance, she’d encourage you to use Lucky Vega again this season. She’s immediately related to champion fillies Rizeena and Serena’s Song, so it’s a superb fillies' page."

Grace And Virtue is a six-year-old daughter of Iffraaj and won three times as a three-year-old for Richard Fahey. Her dam Spiralling is an unraced Pivotal full-sister to Entreat, dam of Group 1 Commonwealth Cup and Group 2 Richmond Stakes winner Golden Horde.

Spiralling is out of River Saint, an Irish River half-sister to the outstanding racemare and broodmare Serena's Song, dam of Coronation Stakes winner Sophisticat and third dam of Grade 1 winner and sire Honor Code.

The Donworths have nurtured another branch of the family, descended from Serena's Sister, at Roundhill Stud. Through her daughter Princess Serena they have bred the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan winner Zabeel Prince, by Lucky Vega's sire Lope De Vega, and Princess Serena is also the second dam of Coronation Stakes and Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Rizeena, who, like Grace And Virtue, is by Iffraaj.

Lucky Vega: The Group 1-winning two-year-old has his first northern hemisphere foalCredit: Bronwen Healy/Irish National Stud

Lucky Vega also hails from a storied nursery, that of Pat O'Kelly's Kilcarn Stud in Meath and the son of Lope De Vega made €110,000 as a foal at Goffs to Michael Roy. The following year he was purchased by Michael Donohoe of BBA Ireland for €175,000 at the Goffs Orby Sale on behalf of Yulong Investments.

Trained by Jessica Harrington, in addition to his Curragh Group 1 victory, he was second in the Middle Park Stakes and Railway Stakes.

At three he went on to be third to Poetic Flare in the 2,000 Guineas, fourth to that horse's stablemate Mac Swiney in the Irish 2,000 Guineas and second, again to Poetic Flare, in the St James's Palace Stakes before he was retired and sent to Australia to begin his stud career at Yulong's stallion station in Victoria.

Gary Swift, of the Irish National Stud, was impressed with the quality of the Roundhill filly.

"It’s a tremendous start for Lucky Vega, the firepower this horse has been supplied with in his first and second season in top-class mares is unprecedented," he said.

"Yulong have done everything to facilitate him becoming the most exciting young stallion around and he is certainly the one to be on."

Donohoe has been busy assembling a strong team of mares to support Lucky Vega on behalf of Yulong over the last 18 months, including purchasing Plying, dam of Alcohol Free, at the Goffs November Breeding Stock Sale of 2021.

At the 2022 renewal of the sale, they bought six of the seven mares to realise at least €500,000, including a Galileo half-sister to Arc and King George heroine Danedream.

Lucky Vega will stand for €15,000 once more this spring.

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