With the Queensland winter carnival winding down and with it the opportunity to win black type this season it was great to see Our Lukas (Generous-Parfore) become the 82nd New Zealand bred stakes winner in Australia this season, our best result this decade. The Westbury Stud bred gelding also became the first horse since the Second World War to win the listed Ispwich Cup two years in a row. In the scale of things winning at Ipswich may not seem that important, but Ipswich Cup Day is one of only a few stand alone Saturday race day's in Australia outside the metropolitan areas. In other words it was the only major race meeting in Queensland and didn't have to compete with Eagle Farm or Doomben. Ipswich Cup Day, especially crowd wise, rates as one of the biggest race days of the year and locally it's a Cup well worth winning. The $A200,000 Ipswich Cup run over 2150 metres was the 11th victory for Our Lukas and came on the back of a win in the Listed Strawberry Road Handicap over 1600metres, prior to that he had finished a game second in the Group Three Lord Mayor's Cup. Earlier in the season he also added the Listed Brisbane Handicap to his tally. Our Lukas was bred at Westbury Stud by Final Triumph Limited a partnership with a long association with that stud. According to Westbury Stud's General Manager Russell Warwick, the partnership has been on the client list for over 20 years. "They were involved with us when we stood Gold Brose and we have had a bit of success breeding the likes of Catamarca and Buzz Lightyear, but a few years ago they decided to scale down their breeding operation in New Zealand and concentrate on only a few mares. "We sold Our Lukas at Karaka and he was purchased by Paul Willetts for $20,000, and then on sold to Peter Moody and he won a maiden for that trainer in Victoria who then on sold him to clients of his good friend Queensland trainer Robbie Heathcote for $65,000. "Not long after we sold Our Lukas we sold the mare in foal to Faltaat to New South Welshman Mike Ryan, now residing in Abu Dhabi, and as is often the case then the family threw up a good horse in the form of Il Quello Veloce (Captain Rio-Nishaani)." Our Lukas is out of the Gold Brose mare Parfore a daughter of the stakes winning mare Classy Twiggy (Twig Moss – Enchantress by Sir Tristram). Classy Twiggy visited Gold Brose four times, and produced Sparky to win six races in Hong Kong and three fillies, Parfore, Nishaani and Golden Sparkle. Parfore won a race and commenced stud duties in 2001 producing a filly to Generous Ininthree a winner of two races and currently racing in the South Island. A return to Generous produced Our Lukas and her Faltaat mating a year later produced Our Boy Lukas who won his third race in New South Wales earlier this month. Mike Ryan then sent Parfore to Stravinsky and she produced a filly which sold at the Magic Millions for $150,000 to Patinack Farms, racing as Frustrated she has won once and is due to resume racing in Melbourne this week. The next mating produced a Dubawi colt known as Tiger Tee and this year Esker Lodge sold a Darci Brahma colt on Ryan's behalf for $140,000 to Blue Sky Thoroughbreds and he will join Michael Freedman's stable in Singapore. "Parfore has a colt foal at foot that is a three-quarter brother to Il Quello Veloce which was foaled in Australia and she is back in foal to Dubawi," said Russell. "We have Nishaani and Golden Sparkle on the farm and they both have Captain Rio yearlings for the sale next year. Golden Sparkle has left two winners by O'Reilly Gemma O'Reilly and Silver Sparkle who won at his first start at Trentham a week or so back. Her colt for the sales is a yearling. "We also have a full sister to Il Quello Veloce for Karaka and Nishaani her dam is back in foal to Captain Rio and is booked to Starspangledbanner. It's an exciting time with this family it certainly seems to be on the up and up."
- Michelle Saba
- Michelle Saba
