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Lees mourns loss of Lucia

3 minute read

Three-time Group 1 winner succumbs to colic.

Lucia Valentina winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Lucia Valentina winning the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. Picture: Racing and Sports

Kris Lees and Lib Petagna are mourning their former star filly and mare Lucia Valentina, who died on Wednesday.

The daughter of Savabeel, who won at Group 1 level three times and was the equal highest-rated horse Lees trained, succumbed to a bout of colic at the age of 14.

"It's with great sadness we share the passing of star mare Lucia Valentina to colic this morning," Lees Racing said in a social media statement late on Wednesday.

"A very special horse to our family, stable and connections.

"Vale Lucia Valentina."

An NZ$60,000 Karaka Yearling Sale purchase for Bruce Perry on behalf of Petagna, Lucia Valentina raced 30 times for seven wins and six placings in a career that generated $4,354,803 in stakes.

Out of the Montjeu mare Staryn Glenn, Lucia Valentina had her first five starts in New Zealand, where she won the Group 3 Wellington Stakes (1600m), before announcing herself in Australia with victory in the Group 1 Vinery Stud Stakes (2000m) in 2014.

She then ran third in the Group 1 ATC Oaks (2400m), resumed with a win in the Group 2 Tramway Stakes (1400m) before taking the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) en route to starting favourite in the Caulfield Cup (2400m), finishing third behind Admire Rakti.

She did not win again until the Group 2 Matriarch Stakes (2000m) at the following year's Melbourne Cup Carnival and then went to Hong Kong where she finished fifth in the Group 1 Hong Kong Cup (2000m) won by A Shin Hikari.

But she saved her best for her final career win with her brilliant 2-1/4-length win in the 2016 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) generating a Racing And Sports rating of 124, which is the equal of any rating recorded by a horse in Lees' care.

The others to run to 124 are Black Caviar Lightning winner In Her Time, triple Group 1 winner Le Romain and All-Star Mile hero Mugatoo.

Lucia Valentina was retired after her seventh placing in the 2016 Cox Plate and, to date, has had three foals to race with last year's Group 1 Levin Classic (1600m) third placegetter Luella Cristina, a daughter of Snitzel, the best-performed.

She lost the Super Seth colt foaled in 2021, has a two-year-old filly by I Am Invincible named Erin Jo in training with Lees and last year had a colt by Per Incanto.


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