Following his triumph in the Grade 1 Pegasus Turf Invitational at Gulfstream Park, Florida, on January 24, Test Score—sired by Lookin’ at Lucky—clearly established himself among North America’s top turf competitors, bringing attention to a stallion with an unconventional lineage. Lookin’ at Lucky, whose sire Smart Strike is descended from Mr. Prospector, was a striking and spirited athlete who shined as both a 2- and 3-year-old. His juvenile career included three Grade 1 victories—the Del Mar Futurity, Norfolk Stakes, and Hollywood Futurity—with only one defeat: a surprising second-place finish behind Vale of York in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, where the winner yielded a tremendous payout.
As a three-year-old, Lookin’ at Lucky won four of seven starts, notably capturing the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes and Grade 1 Haskell Invitational, alongside successes in the Grade 2 Rebel Stakes and Indiana Derby. Although he placed third in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby, his Kentucky Derby performance was a disappointing sixth, and he finished fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Classic behind favorites Blame and Zenyatta.
Coolmore’s strategy to bolster the U.S. breeding scene led Lookin’ at Lucky to stand at Ashford Stud. Unlike precocious sires like Uncle Mo, Lookin’ at Lucky’s progeny tend to mature later and excel in races of at least a mile. Since starting his stud career at Ashford in 2011, he has also spent time at Coolmore Australia and stood in Chile at Paso Nevado and Don Alberto before settling permanently after the 2023 season.
Lookin’ at Lucky has twice been Chile’s leading sire, producing a broad range of top talent—such as North American Champion Accelerate (winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic, Santa Anita Handicap, Gold Cup, and Pacific Classic), Kentucky Derby winner Country House (who inherited the title after Maximum Security’s disqualification), Canadian Turf Champion Lucky Score, and Hong Kong superstar Luc Peng. In Chile, his offspring include multiple champions like Wow Cat, Hongkong Great, Luka, Royal Luck, Dafonda, and Muy Gracioso.
Interestingly, Lookin’ at Lucky’s South American foals display more early speed and classic qualities compared to his North American runners, making him a particularly intriguing stallion to evaluate based on the mares he complements—though South American mares are not the only successful matches for his lineage. Test Score is from one such mare, Joy of Learning (by Kitten’s Joy), who resides at Mill Ridge Farm in Kentucky, managed by John and Jerry Ammerman.
Test Score, boasting two Grade 1 wins, captured last year’s Grade 1 Belmont Derby and Grade 2 Twilight Derby, along with the Grade 3 Transylvania Stakes at Keeneland. He also placed second in the Grade 1 American Turf Stakes and earned third in both the Grade 1 Saratoga Derby and Hollywood Derby. With five wins from 13 starts and earnings exceeding $2 million for owner-breeder Jerry Ammerman, Test Score descends from Ammerman’s foundational mare Society Dream (by Akarad).
Bred in France by Jean-Luc Lagardère, Society Dream won her maiden race and placed twice in listed stakes before moving to the U.S., where under the training of Neil Drysdale, she captured the Ax Secret Stakes and claimed three additional wins, including the Grade 3 Hillsborough Handicap. Despite her on-track successes, Society Dream didn’t produce any black-type performers directly. However, she produced six winners, and three of her daughters have gone on to produce stakes winners, notably including Oscar Performance, an Ammerman-sired turf star by Kitten’s Joy—who is also related to Test Score’s dam.
Joy of Learning, Test Score’s dam and a producer of three winners from three runners, has also been bred to stallions like English Channel and Not This Time, resulting in promising offspring including a new 3-year-old filly. She is a granddaughter of Society Dream through Miss Chapin, who has established herself as both a multiple stakes producer and a dam of talented youngsters.
In contrast to the growing legacy of Society Dream’s line, the story traces back to the influential 1978 foal Akarad (by Labus), a stallion from the famous Marcel Boussac lineage, which had strong inbreeding ties to elite sires like Jebel and Faris. After the Aga Khan acquired Boussac’s bloodstock in the late 1970s, Akarad and his full sister Aqida (Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe winner) sustained the line’s prominence. Although Labus—their sire—was modestly regarded and mostly used for breeding sport horses, his descendant Society Dream and her progeny have restored notable success to this pedigree.
This article originally appeared in the Paulick Report’s Features section on January 28, 2026.
Fan Take: Test Score’s rise highlights how diverse pedigrees and international bloodlines continue to invigorate North American turf racing, proving that excellence breeds in unexpected places. This evolving narrative not only enriches the sport’s depth but also offers fresh excitement for breeders and enthusiasts looking beyond traditional powerhouses.
