Fabulous Racing Partnership Provides Consistent Winners

Four winners, including two stakes winners in one weekend, is an amazing result for any owner and for Trevor Luke of Christchurch the forthcoming New Zealand Cup Carnival could provide plenty more.

Luke owns an undisclosed number of racehorses in partnership with Peter and Kim McKay, all of whom are trained by Peter McKay at Matamata. Over Labour weekend they combined to win the listed Wellesley Stakes at Wellington with Antonio Lombardo (Pins-Petit Verdot) and the listed Canterbury Stakes at Riccarton with Undisclosed (Pins-Dare to Win). Also at the Riccarton meeting Estrato (Stratum-Lung Tah) won the two-year-old 800 metre event and Santoreilli (O'Reilly- Bazar Babe) the rating 80 1200 for the trio, and for good measure the McKay's saddled up a horse of their own Porello who won a rating 70 2000 metre race. On the back of those wins Undisclosed will head to the $1million group one 2000 Guineas and Estrato the listed Welcome Stakes during New Zealand Cup week. If Undisclosed wins the group one classic it won't be Luke's first group one winner, that honour lays with the very smart multiple group one winner Alamosa, however it will be the first group one winner he has bred.

'Undisclosed' photographed by Equine Photographer Trish Dunell

Luke owns a dozen broodmares scattered between Matamata, the Hunter Valley and Beaudesert in Queensland and a large team of racing stock on both sides of the Tasman as well. As a youngster in Timaru he developed an interest in gambling when his father worked part-time in the TAB. Success in an importing business allowed that gambling interest to flourish into race horse ownership, which eventually led into his breeding interests. That successful importing business was sold about five years ago, and was followed by another which has since been sold, and now at 59 he is in a position to enjoy his racing dream. Dare to Win (Centaine – Dare) the dam of Undisclosed is based at Waikato Stud along with Love the Limelight (Octagonal- Jacqwin), Little Glo (Howbaddouwantit – Love the Limelight), and Sentura (Volksraad-Trickery), while Tambara (Thunder Gulch-Ikebana) and El Pauji (Flying Spur- Tambara) are at Segenhoe Stud. Before producing Undisclosed, Dare to Win had left four foals to race for four winners including the group one placed Pin Up Boy also by Pins, the winner of six races including the listed Northland Breeders Stakes. Since producing Undisclosed she has left two fillies by O'Reilly and is back in foal to that stallion. The first filly is a yearling that Luke will retain and the second was born this spring. Dare to Win was bred by Tom Lowry and is out of the New Zealand Thoroughbred Stakes winner Dare (Three Legs), she descends from a great Okawa Stud family with her third dam being the Railway Handicap winner Lilt. "I raced Dare to Win with Chris Waller and Lucy Mitchell. Chris had purchased her at the sales for a Hong Kong client who didn't complete the sale, so he took Lucy and me in as partners. He trained her and she won four races but wasn't quite up to black type company. "When she retired we sent her to stud, and produced Pin Up Boy, and three other foals then Chris sold his percentage and now Lucy and I breed from her. I breed mainly to sell and Undisclosed went through the Premier Sale where Peter bought him for $100,000, and before you know it I was back in," he added. Upstaged (In the Wings- Tambara) is another stakes winner bred by Luke, she won the listed SACJ Elder Stakes before running second in the group one Avondale Cup. Her half sister El Pauji (Flying Spur) a stakes placed winner of six races is one of the mares he currently has at stud in Australia. She was initially sold at the Magic Millions as a yearling, but then purchased back, in foal to Lionhearted. The Lionhearted colt will go to the yearling sales this year and she has produced a Red Ransom filly this season, one of the last foals by that sire. El Pauji is under service to More the Ready. "I don't have a breeding philosophy as such by there are a few stallions that I really like, O'Reilly obviously as I have had a few good ones, but basically I have a few ideas and then I take advice from the those that have more idea, like Mark Chittick at Waikato and Dave Shadbolt who shares in my interests in Tambara and El Pauji. Back at Waikato Stud, Love the Limelight a half sister to Metal Bender has produced a filly foal this season to O'Reilly and is under service to him again. She also has a yearling filly by that sire. Her first foal Little Glo is in foal to Fast'N Famous. Sentura a winning full sister to Clifton Prince is also under service to O'Reilly having left two colts to Savabeel. Luke owns this mare in partnership with the McKay's. "I first became involved with Peter and Kim around 10 or 12 years ago, I had a couple of horses I wanted prepared for the Ready to Run Sales and they were recommended to me. They did a great job and our working relationship and fabulous racing partnership developed from there." And what a partnership! Alamosa is undoubtedly the best horse they have raced winning eight races including the group one Diamond Stakes as a two-year-old, before going on to win the group one Thorndon Mile and the Otaki- Maori WFA against the older horses as three-year-old. He also won the group two Avondale and Hawkes Bay Guineas, along with the group three Wellington Stakes, before being sold to the Wellfield Alamosa syndicate. They sent him to race as a four-year-old in Melbourne where he won the group one Toorak Handicap before being placed in the C F Orr Stakes and the Futurity Stakes. Add to that Vincent Mangano (No Excuse Needed-Rationable) who has won the Wellesley Stakes and the Karaka Million at two and five other races, and his half brother Joey Massino (O'Reilly) who has won five races including the group two Avondale Guineas, group three Wellington Stakes and the listed Champagne Stakes at Ellerslie and you can begin to see why it's a great partnership. Antonio Lombardo is also from this family, as Petit Verdot (Carnegie) is out of Rationaine a half sister to Rationable the dam of Vincent Mangano and Joey Massino. "I am delighted with way Undisclosed has come up this season and I am looking forward to the Cup Carnival and hoping that he can go one better than Alamosa in the 2000 Guineas," he said confidently. Alamosa was beaten a head!

- Michelle Saba