Ambassador of Luck (USA)
April 18, 1979 – February 9, 1994
What Luck (USA) x Detente (USA), by Dark Ruler (USA)
Family 23-b
April 18, 1979 – February 9, 1994
What Luck (USA) x Detente (USA), by Dark Ruler (USA)
Family 23-b
A consistent sprint filly at ages 2 and 3, Ambassador of Luck went six-for-six as a 4-year old while stretching out to an extended mile and setting two stakes record in graded races. She won only one Grade 1 event but displayed great speed throughout the year, and her consistency landed her an Eclipse Award in a rather weak year for the older female division. She was a moderately successful broodmare.
Race record
23 starts, 14 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds, US$489,583
1981:
1982:
1983:
1984:
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion older female (1983)
Assessments
Rated at 112 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1981, 8 pounds below champion Before Dawn.
Rated at 117 pounds on the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for American female sprinters of 1982, 8 pounds below champion Gold Beauty.
Rated at 125 pounds on the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for American older females of 1983, 1 pound below highweighted Sangue.
As an individual
A bay mare, Ambassador of Luck preferred controlling her races from the front end but could stalk the pace and had a blistering turn of foot when doing so. She had a history of ankle problems between her 3- and 4-year-old seasons that kept her away from the races for eight months. She suffered a hairline fracture of her right fore cannon while training for the 1983 Ruffian Handicap (USA-G1), was sidelined for the remainder of the year, and made only two starts while attempting to come back as a 5-year-old before being retired for good.
As a producer
Ambassador of Luck produced nine foals, of which all started and eight won. Her important foals are as follow:
Connections
Foaled in Pennsylvania, Ambassador of Luck was bred by C. Thomas Fuller. She was initially owned by Richard Ransom, who later partnered with Stephen D. Peskoff under the name of Envoy Stable. Trained by William Carelli at 2, by Scotty Schulhofer at 3, and by Mitchell Preger at 4 she was ridden by Tony Graell throughout her championship season. In November 1998, Ambassador of Luck sold for US$900,000 at the Fasig-Tipton “Night of the Stars” sale; she produced her remaining foals for Crystal Springs Farm and Richard Santulli. She died of complications of foaling on February 9, 1994.
Pedigree notes
Sired by the Bold Ruler horse What Luck (a full brother to 1964 American champion 2-year-old filly Queen Empress and 1968 Pimlico-Laurel Futurity winner King Emperor), Ambassador of Luck is inbred 5x4 to Idle Hour Stock Farm foundation sire Black Toney. She is a full sister to stakes winner Someway Somehow, dam of stakes winner Musical Dreamer (by Stop the Music). She is also a half sister to multiple stakes winner Embajador (by Diplomat Way).
Ambassador of Luck is out of Detente, whose sire Dark Ruler is a stakes-winning son of Bimelech. A winner, she is a half sister to Here’s Jaynes (by Warfare), dam of multiple juvenile stakes winner Northern Jay (by Northern Jove). The sisters are out of unraced Cedquest, whose sire Alquest (by Questionnaire) won the 1944 Clark Handicap and Ben Ali Handicap.
Cedquest, in turn, is out of the Teddy mare Tedgal, whose dam Flower Girl (by Pennant) placed in two minor stakes as a juvenile. Produced from the Broomstick mare Broom Flower, Flower Girl is a half sister to stakes-placed Last Straw (by Ultimus), dam of 1933 Walden Handicap winner Chicstraw (by Chicle), 1930 Astoria Stakes winner Sovietta (by Stefan the Great), and the good sprinter Finite (by The Finn); second dam of two-time Jamaica Handicap winner Overdrawn; and third dam of 1957 Futurity Stakes winner Jester.
Last updated: September 23, 2024
Race record
23 starts, 14 wins, 4 seconds, 3 thirds, US$489,583
1981:
- Won Clipsetta Stakes (second division) (USA, 6FD, Latonia)
- Won Schuykill Stakes (first division) (USA, 6FD, Keystone)
1982:
- Won Linda Stakes (USA, 6FD, Suffolk)
- Won Duchess Stakes (CAN, 7FD, Woodbine)
- Won Pinafore Stakes (USA, 6FD, Suffolk)
- Won Martha Washington Stakes (USA, 6FD, Oaklawn)
- 2nd Maskette Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
- 2nd Test Stakes (USA-G2, 7FD, Saratoga)
- 2nd Magnolia Stakes (USA, 6FD, Oaklawn)
1983:
- Won Maskette Stakes (USA-G1, 8FD, Belmont)
- Won Molly Pitcher Handicap (USA-G2, 8.5FD, Monmouth)
- Won Ballerina Stakes (USA-G3, 7FD, Saratoga)
1984:
- 3rd Revidere Stakes (USA-L, 7FD, Saratoga)
Honors
Eclipse Award, American champion older female (1983)
Assessments
Rated at 112 pounds on the Experimental Free Handicap for American juveniles of 1981, 8 pounds below champion Before Dawn.
Rated at 117 pounds on the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for American female sprinters of 1982, 8 pounds below champion Gold Beauty.
Rated at 125 pounds on the Daily Racing Form’s Free Handicap for American older females of 1983, 1 pound below highweighted Sangue.
As an individual
A bay mare, Ambassador of Luck preferred controlling her races from the front end but could stalk the pace and had a blistering turn of foot when doing so. She had a history of ankle problems between her 3- and 4-year-old seasons that kept her away from the races for eight months. She suffered a hairline fracture of her right fore cannon while training for the 1983 Ruffian Handicap (USA-G1), was sidelined for the remainder of the year, and made only two starts while attempting to come back as a 5-year-old before being retired for good.
As a producer
Ambassador of Luck produced nine foals, of which all started and eight won. Her important foals are as follow:
- Zakhir (1986, by Topsider; a gelding) was a Group 2-placed listed stakes winner in England.
- Alydavid (1988, by Alydar) won the 1991 Derby Trial Stakes (USA-G3). At the end of his racing career, he was exported to Venezuela for stud duty.
- Felawnah (1990, by Mr. Prospector) ran third in the 1993 Sun Chariot Stakes (ENG-G2). She is the dam of English listed stakes winner Aramram (by Danzig).
- Golden Envoy (1992, by Dayjur) ran second once from four races. She is the dam of listed stakes winner Plata (by Skip Away)
Connections
Foaled in Pennsylvania, Ambassador of Luck was bred by C. Thomas Fuller. She was initially owned by Richard Ransom, who later partnered with Stephen D. Peskoff under the name of Envoy Stable. Trained by William Carelli at 2, by Scotty Schulhofer at 3, and by Mitchell Preger at 4 she was ridden by Tony Graell throughout her championship season. In November 1998, Ambassador of Luck sold for US$900,000 at the Fasig-Tipton “Night of the Stars” sale; she produced her remaining foals for Crystal Springs Farm and Richard Santulli. She died of complications of foaling on February 9, 1994.
Pedigree notes
Sired by the Bold Ruler horse What Luck (a full brother to 1964 American champion 2-year-old filly Queen Empress and 1968 Pimlico-Laurel Futurity winner King Emperor), Ambassador of Luck is inbred 5x4 to Idle Hour Stock Farm foundation sire Black Toney. She is a full sister to stakes winner Someway Somehow, dam of stakes winner Musical Dreamer (by Stop the Music). She is also a half sister to multiple stakes winner Embajador (by Diplomat Way).
Ambassador of Luck is out of Detente, whose sire Dark Ruler is a stakes-winning son of Bimelech. A winner, she is a half sister to Here’s Jaynes (by Warfare), dam of multiple juvenile stakes winner Northern Jay (by Northern Jove). The sisters are out of unraced Cedquest, whose sire Alquest (by Questionnaire) won the 1944 Clark Handicap and Ben Ali Handicap.
Cedquest, in turn, is out of the Teddy mare Tedgal, whose dam Flower Girl (by Pennant) placed in two minor stakes as a juvenile. Produced from the Broomstick mare Broom Flower, Flower Girl is a half sister to stakes-placed Last Straw (by Ultimus), dam of 1933 Walden Handicap winner Chicstraw (by Chicle), 1930 Astoria Stakes winner Sovietta (by Stefan the Great), and the good sprinter Finite (by The Finn); second dam of two-time Jamaica Handicap winner Overdrawn; and third dam of 1957 Futurity Stakes winner Jester.
Last updated: September 23, 2024