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Seaway’s victory in the Listed Winter Challenge (1500m) at Rosehill on Saturday was a big result for Trevor Luke.
The Christchurch businessman bred Seaway in partnership with Waikato Stud, and he was delighted to see the Ocean Park gelding defy all challengers on Saturday to record his first black-type victory.
Luke has enjoyed major success as an owner,notably with the multiple Group One winner Alamosa,but the horses he has co-bred from Seaway's dam Miss Purrfection are allowing him to win black-type spoils from another angle.
"That result on Saturday was a great thrill, it was really good to see," he said.
"I've had plenty of good ones as an owner, but I'd say that this horse and his half-sister Kiwi Karma have probably been the best I've been involved with from a breeding point of view."
Kiwi Karma, by Fast 'n' Famous, won eight races in Singapore including three at stakes level – the Golden Horseshoe (1200m), the Prestige Classic (1400m) and the Singapore 3YO Sprint (1200m).
For Luke, the story begins with the purchase of Miss Purrfection as a yearling at Karaka in 2008. He paid $65,000 for the daughter of One Cool Cat and the Luskin Star mare Splash of Beauty.
"I bought her and then leased her out to a group of clients of the Peter Williams stable," Luke recalled. "She showed a fair bit of ability for them."
Miss Purrfection raced 12 times in the South Island for the Common Interest Syndicate, winning four and placing in another five.
"Then, when the time came to retire her, I was looking for somewhere and I ended up going into a partnership with Mark Chittick at Waikato," Luke said.
Kiwi Karma was the first foal, born in 2011. Seaway is the mare's second foal to race, and he sold for $210,000 as a yearling at Karaka in 2016.
"The $210,000 was a good price for him at Karaka," Luke said. "Kiwi Karma had startedperforming well in Singapore by that stage, so it worked out nicely."
Next came a half-brother by O'Reilly, Tax Free, who has been a winner in Singapore, making Miss Purrfection the dam of three winners from three foals to race.
All subsequent matings have been to Waikato Stud's young stallion Sacred Falls.
"We've got two half-sisters by Sacred Falls, one turning three this week and one that'll be a yearling," Luke said. "So that's something to look forward to as well."
It was also a landmark weekend for Waikato Stud. In addition to sharing the breeding honours in Seaway's win, which also marked a third individual stakes winner for their high-flying stallion Ocean Park, they also bred the Listed Ryder Stakes (1200m) winner Sai Fah and Macau Derby (1800m) winner Sacred Capital.