Lucky Nine (, originally Luck or Design) is an Irish-bred,

Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...

–based retired

racehorse Horse racing is an equestrian performance activity, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its bas ...

. He was one of the nominees of 2010-2011 Hong Kong Horse of the Year.

Background

Lucky Nine is a bay gelding bred in Ireland by the

Darley Stud Darley Stud is located at Dalham Hall, the global breeding operation owned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. It is on the outskirts of Newmarket, Suffolk, the internati ...

. He was sired by Dubawi, a son of Dubai Millennium who won the

Irish 2,000 Guineas The Irish 2,000 Guineas is a Group 1 flat horse race in Ireland open to three-year-old thoroughbred colts and fillies. It is run at the Curragh over a distance of 1 mile (1,609 metres), and it ...

and the

Prix Jacques Le Marois The Prix Jacques Le Marois is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbred colts and fillies aged three years or older. It is run in August each year at Deauville over a distance of ...

in 2005. He was originally named Luck or Design.

Racing career

Luck or Design raced in Ireland as a two-year-old in 2009, winning a maiden race at

Naas Racecourse Naas Racecourse is a horse racing venue in Naas, County Kildare, Ireland, approximately 18 miles from Dublin. The course stages both Flat racing and National Hunt racing and in 2010 fifteen race meetings were held there. The Naas Races Company w ...

by five lengths. Luck or Design was then sold and exported to race in Hong Kong where he was renamed Lucky Nine. In Hong Kong, Lucky Nine has won important races including the National Day Cup in 2010, the

Hong Kong Classic Mile The Hong Kong Classic Mile is a domestic Group 1 four year old set weights Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run over a distance of 1600 metres. It was originally a Group 3 race and was the traditional lead-up race for the Hong Kong Derby. In ...

and the

Hong Kong Sprint The Hong Kong Sprint is a Group 1 flat horse race in Hong Kong which is open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run over a distance of 1,200 metres (about 6 furlongs) at Sha Tin, and takes place in mid-December. The race was first ...

in 2011 and the

Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup The Queen's Silver Jubilee Cup is a set weights Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race in Hong Kong, run over 1400 metres, with the total purse of HK$10m in 2014/15, approximately US$1.3m. In the 2005/06 season, it was upgraded to Group 1 status and has ...

in 2012. Racing in international competition he finished second in Japan's Centaur Stakes in 2011 and third in the

Dubai Golden Shaheen The Dubai Golden Shaheen is a Group 1 flat horse race in the United Arab Emirates for three-year-old and above thoroughbreds run over a distance of 1,200 metres (approximately 6 furlongs) on the dirt course at Meydan Racecourse in Dubai in late M ...

in 2012. Lucky Nine went to Singapore for the International Sprint (Kris Flyer) Group 1 race in May 2013, and easily accounted for an international field that included Australian horse Bel Sprinter (who managed to come second).

References

The Hong Kong Jockey Club – Lucky Nine Racing Record
* Hong Kong Jockey Club

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