Danny Graham’s longtime Illinois trotting star Annas Luck Star has been retired. (Four Footed Fotos)

By Mike Paradise for the I.H.H.A. 

  Long-time Illinois Trotting Queen Annas Lucky Star has abdicated her throne at the age of ten.

 “She’s now retired from racing,” said her owner and breeder Danny Graham “She’s in Kentucky at Judy and Henry Lunford’s farm where we’re trying to get her in-foal this breeding season to the stallion Rebuff. He’s in his second season standing in Indiana.”

 Rebuff was a Breeders Crown champion at the age of two and as a three-year-old the fastest trotter in the country with a 1:49.4 mile. A multiple stakes champion, the son of Muscle Hill had career purse earnings of $962,490.

 “Annas Lucky Star is a once in a lifetime horse,” continued the 69-year-old native of Salem, Illinois. “She never lost a race at Du Quoin and was a seven-time Illinois-bred stakes champion at Springfield.

 “She was all business on the racetrack. Every time she went postward she wanted to finish first. Off the track, she was a sweetheart to be around.”

 In a little more than eight years of competition, Annas Lucky Star won 63 races in her brilliant career and never picked up easy ones on the County Fair circuit. In fact, she never raced on a half-miler.

 The mare spent most of her career competing state bred stakes, and in Open company events, winning the top overnights events in Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio.

 Annas Lucky Star ended up winning an impressive 41 per cent of her 155 lifetime starts and finished third or better a dazzling 70 per cent of the time.

 Even with less-than desirable purses over the last decade in Illinois, the Cassis trotter, out of Danny’s late broodmare Queen Jamie, hauled in $686.694 in her career.

  (Queen Jamie was named the 2003 Illinois Broodmare of the Year while Annas Lucky Star was selected the best in her division for the umpteenth time).

  Throughout her superb career Annas Lucky Star has been under the care of veteran trainer Nelson Willis.

 Annas Lucky Star was named by Graham after his granddaughter Anna Rolla when she was seven. “She’s 18 now and in Junior College,” said the proud grandfather. Anna plays second place on the West Frankfort baseball team and her younger sister is the shortstop.

 “Any chance I get I drive the 50-mile trip south to West Frankfort to watch them play. I was there recently when Anna singled the first three times she batted and since I wasn’t feeling very good, I left. It was just my luck that I missed Anna’s homerun in her next at bat.”

 Danny did leave a slight opening concerning Annas Lucky Star’s retirement from racing.

 “Of course, you never can say never. If my mare doesn’t get in-foal this breeding season, there’s an outside chance that I would bring her back this year to race. She may not be as good as she was a few years ago but she’s still good, and she loves to compete.”

 So, stay tuned.