What Luck was foaled on April 24th, 1967. He was bred by Ogden Phipps and Wheatley Stable and foaled at Claiborne Farm near Paris, Kentucky. What Luck was by Bold Ruler, the 1957 Horse of the Year. Bold Ruler made 33 starts and won 23 races. His major wins were in the Wood Memorial Stakes, Vosburgh Handicap, Carter Handicap, Monmouth Handicap and Preakness Stakes. Bold Ruler topped the list of leading sires in North America eight times. He sired eleven champions – Lamb Chop, Bold Bidder, Bold Lad, Queen Empress, Gamely, Bold Lad (IRE), Successor, Queen of the Stage, Vitriolic, Wajima and Secretariat.
Irish Jay, the dam of What Luck, was a third-generation Wheatley Stable bred mare. She was by Double Jay and out of Irish Witch, by Bold Irishman. Irish Jay was a high-class racehorse. She won seven races, including the Schuylerville Stakes, Fashion Stakes, Demoiselle Stakes, Spinaway Stakes, Comely Stakes and Acorn Stakes. Irish Jay produced eleven foals for Ogden Phipps and Wheatley Stable. Her first seven foals were by Bold Ruler. Queen Empress, her first foal, was the 1964 Champion Two-Year-Old Filly. Irish Jay also produced multiple stakes winner King Emperor and graded stakes winner Land of Eire. They were both successful sires as was her race-winning son The Irish Lord. Irish Jay’s last foal, Dublin, was born in 1979 when she was 22 years old.
As a two-year-old, What Luck broke his maiden in a six-furlong race at Saratoga. He won the race by five lengths over Herbalist, the eventual winner of the 1970 Arkansas Derby. What Luck also defeated Sun Cross and Lots of Rhythm by four lengths in an allowance race at Saratoga. In total, What Luck made six starts, won two races, and earned $12,375 on the track, which was the equivalent of about $100,000 today.
What Luck did not equal the class of his siblings, but his exceptional pedigree and conformation earned him a chance at stud. He stood at Walmac-Warnerton Association Farms in Lexington, Kentucky. His first foal crop arrived in 1972 and included Boomie S., winner of the 1975 Gr. 3 San Vicente Stakes. His second foal crop included What a Summer, the 1977 American Champion Sprint Horse. What a Summer went on to produce graded stakes winner Gather the Clan. What a Summer was inducted into the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame in 2020.
In 1979, What Luck sired his second Thoroughbred champion, Ambassador of Luck. This bay mare won the Gr. 1 Maskette Stakes, Gr. 2 Molly Pitcher Handicap and Gr. 3 Ballerina Stakes. She was named the 1983 American Champion Older Female Horse. Ambassador of Luck went on to produce stakes winners Alydavid and Zakhir.
Other Thoroughbred stakes winners by What Luck included Matching, What a Spell, Croupier Lady, What a Romeo, Empress Tigere, Whataluckygirl, Blackberry, Shine Please, Lucky Lady Ellen, Always Run Lucky, Gentle King, Lucky Point, Buffalo Beau, Chores At Dawn, What a Gent, Luck Penny, Just Terrific, What a Micheal, Lucky Mathieu, Awesome Promise, Luckiest Girl, Major Luck, Our Lucky Bell, Heavy Sugar, Naviaux, How Charming, Overnight Luck, Boomer’s Luck, Boomie Two, Blind Luck, Luckily Smashed, Mubarak Begum, Bluer Than Blue, Praise the Lucky, Lucky Brook, Subdeb, What a Year, Someway Somehow, Lucky Era, Fortunate Glenna, Lucky Wilma, California Ranger, Our New Luck and Mimi Baker.
What Luck’s propensity for siring speed made him an ideal outcross to Quarter Horse mares. He was purchased by AQHA Hall of Fame breeder Blair E. Folck in partnership with C. T. Fuller and syndicated. He remained at Walmac Farm where his stud fee was $15,000 to Thoroughbred mares and $3,500 to Quarter Horse mares.
He sired his first Quarter Horse foals in 1972. His first Quarter Horse stakes winner was Lucks Image Girl. She won six stakes races and set a new track record in the 1978 All American Congress Derby at River Downs for 440 yards in 22.080 seconds. Lucks Image Girl went on to produce stakes winner Easy Lucks Image and Racing Register of Merit earners Easy Jets Image, Ichibon Lucksimage, Grands Lucks Image, Ichi Lucksimageboy, Easy Jets Luckimage and Texas Image Girl.
Three of What Luck’s best Quarter Horse sons – Lucks Chic Gay, Lucks Gay Chic and What Lucks Gay Chic – were out of Chick’s Gay, a stakes winning daughter of Three Chicks. Lucks Chic Gay won eight races and was stakes placed. He went on to earn 15.0 halter points and sire 589 AQHA registered foals. His top performers were Lucks Runnin Bug, Gendry Jet, Chics Two Rockets, Moons Chic Gay and Bad Lucks Trouble. His son Tonto Top Chic was a leading sire of Hunter Hack point earners.
Lucks Gay Chic was What Luck’s leading Quarter Horse money earner. He won thirteen races, including the 1981 Devils River Derby and was named the 1982 AQHA Racing Champion Aged Stallion. Lucks Gay Chic went on to sire 333 AQHA registered foals. His most notable offspring included Luckgay Chicdelite, Lucks Easyfanta Boy and Lucks Gay Olene.
What Lucks Gay Chic, the final sibling from the What Luck and Chick’s Gay cross, won three stakes races and set three new track records. What Lucks Gay Chic was named the 1988 California Hi-Point Aged Stallion and 1990 California Hi-Point Aged Stallion and Distance Horse. He went on to sire 83 AQHA registered foals.
Other Quarter Horse stakes winners by What Luck included Whata Lucky Jet, Naviaux, What Lucks Delight, Distinctively, Poreso Tomo, Wegotluck, Lucky Going, What a Dolly, Point to Home, Lucks Fame, Diamonds N Lace, Hesa What Luck, What a Winter, Ima Ready and Lucky Copy Cat.
His offspring also excelled off the track. His top point earner, Hello Houston, earned 466.5 halter and performance points. Hello Houston was a brown gelding out of a daughter of Royal Easy. He earned Superior awards in Hunter Under Saddle, Hunt Seat Equitation and Showmanship. Lucky Blow, a black gelding by What Luck and out of a daughter of Alamitos Bar, also earned Superior awards in Hunter Under Saddle. Lucky Blow earned 237.0 performance points. Whata Lucky Guy, a bay gelding by What Luck and out of a daughter of Rebel Cause, earned 42.5 performance points and qualified for the AQHA World Show in Pole Bending. Other performance point earners by What Luck included Imaletaluck, Peg O My Luck, Lucks Diamond Del and Lucks Go Chick.
Altogether, What Luck sired 846 registered Thoroughbred and Quarter Horse foals in nineteen foal crops. They included 483 race winners, 134 ROM earners, 54 stakes winners, 35 stakes finalists, thirteen Superior Race Award earners, eleven graded stakes winners and three champions. His get earned $20,323,468 on the track and 771.0 points in the arena. His Appaloosa and Paint offspring are not included in those statistics. His Appaloosa son Easy Luck was a stakes winner.
Sons of What Luck sired more than 3,000 AQHA recognized foals. Brothers Lucks Chic Gay and Lucks Gay Chic were his more successful sons at stud. Lucks Lucky, a brown Quarter Horse stallion by What Luck and out of a daughter of Azure Te, was also an influential sire of 214 AQHA registered foals. He was especially influential in the barrel industry through his sons Tiny Bit of Luck and Lucks Tiny Bit. What Luck’s sons Hy Lucky Jay, Mackeys Luck, Camelot King and Lucks Chicdelight also sired more that 100 AQHA foals each.
Daughters of What Luck produced 666 AQHA recognized foals that earned $2,687,091 on the track and 2,819.0 points in the arena. Lucks Go Go Gay was one his best producing daughters. She produced Chiarascuro, the leading earner out of a What Luck mare. Chiarascuro won the Gr. 2 California Challenge Championship and was the 2002 California Hi-Point Aged Gelding. Lucks Go Go Gay also produced stakes winner Oh What a Memory and Racing ROM earners Streaks Lucks Go Gay, What Rare Luck and Magnificent Form.
Diamonds N Lace, a sorrel mare by What Luck and out of a daughter of Jackstraw Jr., produced Night Talk, the 1992 Central Hi-Point Three-Year-Old Gelding. Diamonds N Lace also produced stakes winner Striking Bunny and Racing ROM earners Crystal Plan, Royal Diamond and Diamonds Royal Flush.
Other stakes winners out of What Luck mares included Whataluckyboy, Miss Tinys Gay, Miss What a Flight, What an Effort, Tacfully, Kczartessa, Sweet Miranda, Night Time Deelites, Her Night Song, Whata Sweet Song and Point to Home.
Lucky Baby Bug was the leading point earner out of a What Luck mare. In 1999, Danielle M. Lineman and Lucky Baby Bug were the Reserve World Champions in the Amateur division of Equitation Over Fences. She earned another Reserve World Champion title in the Youth division of Equitation Over Fences with Colleen M. Byrne in 2002. Lucky Baby Bug earned Superior awards in Equitation Over Fences, Hunter Hack and Working Hunter. She earned 792.5 total points in the arena.
Ie Copy was the only World Champion out of a What Luck mare. In 2009, Rita A. Crundwell rode Ie Copy to a Select World Championship in the Amateur division of Hunter Under Saddle. Ie Copy later placed third in at the 2011 AQHA World Show and fifth in the 2012 AQHA World Show in the Open division of Hunter Under Saddle. Other Performance ROM earners out of What Luck mares included Cool Luck Skip, Luke at Me Sue, Man O Riva, Enuff Power, Iron Copy, Reed William, Showing To Win, Am Calif, Mr Hez Awesome, A Rated, Grand Legend, Achieved By a Kiss, Mighty Ego and Lucks On a Roll. Sheza Cool Copy earned a Halter ROM. Lucks Sky High, Takin Credit and Achievil Kanevil were barrel racing money earners.
What Luck passed away in 1989 at the age of 22. He often appears in the pedigrees of top racing and barrel racing horses. Stallion Winners Award, Frenchmans Maximum and KN Famous Czar have What Luck in their pedigrees!
Sources: Equineline, Equibase, American Quarter Horse Association, Speedhorse Magazine, All Breed Database
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