A second-place finish in Monday’s Preferred Pace at Grand River Raceway earned Lucky Man a $2,750 paycheque, and more importantly it earned the pacer a spot amongst harness racing’s millionaires.
The OSS graduate, who celebrated his richest payday – a $90,000 haul – when he won a $180,000 OSS Gold Series Final at Windsor Raceway during his sophomore season in 2008, will always have a soft spot in owner Tom Hill’s heart for the manner in which he racked up his seven digit bank account.
“I’m extremely proud he did it, but I’m even more proud of the fact that he’s done it the hard way,” said Hill when reflecting on the pacer’s money-making achievement.
The seven-year-old son of Camluck-Under Her Spell, who was purchased by Hill for $90,000 from the 2006 Lexington Select Yearling Sale, seldom missed earning a cheque throughout a career that saw him take on many of the sport’s greatest pacers in a number of the sport’s highest profile races.
Aside from his success in the OSS program, Lucky Man found his way to victory lane in a number of events such as the $60,000 Willowdale Series Final in 2009, the $46,250 Winbak Pace in 2010 and earlier this month he captured the $30,000 Xtreme Challenge at Georgian Downs.
The veteran has manufactured an overall record of 25-20-17 from the 117 starts he’s made for trainers Casie Coleman, Andrew Harris, Mark Harder and his current conditioner, Rod Boyd.