Buy of the Weekend: $95K well spent as Lucky Brook strikes first-up for Eurell

Cover image courtesy of Racing Photos

For trainer Greg Eurell, buying yearlings is about balancing pedigree, type and temperament. Lucky Brook ticked every box when he inspected her on the Gold Coast, and just one race into her career, the daughter of Lucky Vega (Ire) has already justified that belief.

Her debut victory at Caulfield not only returned more than her purchase price, but also reinforced the opinion that Eurell and the stable has held of the filly from the moment she entered his stable.

A debut that rewarded patience

Lucky Brook (Lucky Vega {Ire}) arrived at the races at Caulfield last Saturday with plenty of expectation after an unbeaten preparation through four jump-outs, and punters were quick to latch onto her despite drawing awkwardly in a competitive field.

After settling in a prominent position, the talented filly showed both professionalism and determination, digging deep to hold off her challengers and remain unbeaten.

The victory was exactly what Eurell had hoped to achieve before turning his attention to the spring.

“The game plan was for her to win a race, then put her on ice for spring. We succeeded in doing that and she did it very well,” Eurell said.

“It gives us confidence going towards spring and we've got a bit of time to work it out.”

A city victory at the first time of asking pushed Lucky Brook's earnings beyond $100,000, immediately repaying her purchase price and opening the door to a host of spring options for the progressive filly.

Eurell was particularly pleased with the way she responded when placed under genuine race pressure for the first time.

“I thought it was a super effort. Probably the best part is that she has never experienced pressure like that and she pulled through it. She will be much better off for it. She's very genuine and she's above average. I like her attitude and everything she has done she has been so professional.”

The performance also vindicated the patient approach taken with her earlier in the year.

“She was impressive, it's quite interesting, she was very close to kicking off in early January. She had a little bit of an issue, nothing bad, but it was sort of like an allergy sort of a thing which just wouldn't clear up and she just had to go back to the paddock.”

Rather than rushing her back into work, Eurell believes the setback ultimately worked in her favour.

“Those things that are a pest at the time, but probably in the long run it's been a big blessing, she had that little bit of time, she was fully educated and ready to go, but looking back it has made the job this time in, a lot easier.”

“We knew what we had with her, it was just a matter of getting your feet in the right race and away we went.”

Although the barrier draw wasn't ideal, Eurell was quietly optimistic the way Caulfield had been racing could work in their favour.

“I would have loved to have drawn a little bit more favourably, but it's interesting at the moment at Caulfield, the last few meetings they have swung out towards the outside so the more we thought about it, we thought, gee, it just might happen to sort of work for us.”

A sale ring standout

Lucky Brook was secured by Greg Eurell and Kariba Racing for $95,000 from Yulong's draft at the Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, a purchase that is already looking an astute piece of buying.

She is the first foal of Wellington Boot winner Zeftabrook (Hinchinbrook), who won twice at two. Zeftabrook has a yearling colt by Pierata and a weanling filly by Lucky Vega (Ire) and is in foal to Growing Empire.

This is the family of the handy sire Magic Albert, Zeftabrook is a half-sister to G1 Myer Classic-placed Denmagic (Denman). As well as Magic Albert, this is the family of Group 2 winner Go The Knuckle (Elvstroem).

While pedigree always plays an important role, Eurell said Lucky Brook's physical attributes and temperament quickly elevated her to the top of the stable's shortlist.

“I've worked very closely with Simon Hunter, he does all our pedigree work and catalogue work and he had his shortlist and we started having a look and naturally you knock a lot out through confirmation or not liking them,” Eurell said.

“One of the main things with her was that she was a lovely type to start with, but she was very sensible, she presented well, she stood there, pricked the ears and just walked off. There was no fuss, no bother and the more we looked at her, we went back a couple of times, the more we liked her.”

The more inspections they completed, the harder it became to find any faults.

“She just had the best attitude, lovely all-over balance, and confirmation. Often with inspecting yearlings you can make a list of what you don't like about a particular horse, but with this filly we couldn't really.”

That confidence translated into the bidding ring, although Eurell admits there was relief when she remained within budget.

“We obviously rated her very highly and were thinking I really hope she comes within our price bracket, because she was really, really high on our list. We were really happy to get her for $95,000, especially with that sale. The sale focuses on fast, looking horses and she looked that way.”

“She now looks a good buy, she has covered her cost in one race and we would like to think there is a lot more to come.”

Built to keep improving

If Lucky Brook's debut performance confirmed her ability, Eurell believes it is her attitude and willingness to learn that could ultimately determine just how far she progresses.

From the first day she arrived at the stable, the filly has handled every stage of her education with ease, continually giving her trainer confidence that there is plenty more to come.

“She's pretty bulletproof, this filly, everything she's done she has done it easy and she is a super learner. She picks things up very quickly and she is also a very sensible horse within herself.”

It is a combination that has allowed the stable to gradually build her preparation without interruption, with Eurell impressed by how naturally she continues to develop.

“She just allows that natural progression just to just keep flowing on and she just doesn't miss a beat. It's quite incredible.”

Her pedigree points to speed, but it is the effortless way she puts herself into races that has particularly caught Eurell's eye.

“She has a sharp pedigree and as soon as those gates open, she flies the gates and within a couple of strides she's already into a beautiful sort of natural rhythm. She hits the ground full of running and just sort of takes all the guesswork out of it and puts herself into a terrific spot.”

Winning first-up has also made life considerably easier for the stable as they begin planning a spring campaign. Rather than worrying about qualifying for stronger races, Eurell can now focus on placing the filly where she is best suited.

“Winning this race sort of opens it up a little bit more now. We can afford to be more picky about what races we can get in and target now knowing that we are going to get in, which is fantastic. So it just makes it that much simpler, the worst thing can be with these horses with ability is that you can't get into some of those better races, but we have taken the guess work out of the spring now.”

For the immediate future, Lucky Brook will be given the opportunity to freshen before attention turns towards bigger assignments later in the year.

“She will now have 10 days to a couple of weeks out now and then we will map out a program for her. The spring now has sort of stretched out a little bit more here than previous years. So we'll just sort of try and target the right races for her. I think she's going to be a very progressive sort of a filly after what she has shown at home and after what she did on Saturday.”

Magic Millions dreams alive

Lucky Brook's debut success has also strengthened the prospect of a return to the Gold Coast, this time not as a yearling, but as a genuine Magic Millions race contender.

Owned by a ladies syndicate made up largely of long-time Eurell stable supporters, the filly is eligible for a host of lucrative races, including the $3 million Gold Coast Magic Millions 3YO Guineas and the $250,000 Racing Women's Bonus, awarded to the first four eligible all-female owned or leased horses home.

For the ownership group, it is an exciting possibility that has emerged remarkably quickly.

“They are nearly all existing stable clients that bounced into her, being a ladies syndicate, there was a lot of interest and she went pretty quick. Depending on what happens in the spring, she could find herself back at the Magics in January for the races up there.”

While there is still a spring campaign to navigate first, Eurell admits the Magic Millions Carnival is firmly in the back of his mind.

“If you've got the right horse at the right time you can make a lot of money, so that definitely is in the long term plan. I'm sure the owners will be quite excited about the prospect of targeting that race in the Gold Coast in January and targeting the bonus, but we will see.”

“The spring looks pretty exciting for her, and who knows what level she can get to and then we will think about maybe Magic Millions after then.”