Accidental online click results in Lukes ‘Mistake’

What do you get when you put a tired new dad and an online auction together? A regrettable sale that turns you into the new owner of a yearling you didn’t know you needed.

But for Luke Tabbakh that’s exactly what happened when he accidentally placed a bid on a yearling in the APG Melbourne Yearling Sales in 2021, resulting in lot 233, a colt by Shadow Play USA out of Macray Tempest making his way to the stables of Peter Tilbrook in WA, now aptly named Lukes Mistake.

“Two years ago I decided I would like to buy a horse in Melbourne, so was bidding on one and it went for too much.

“I had a six-week-old baby so had to change a nappy and give a feed so went and did that and thought ‘oh I should go watch the auction online’.

“I double clicked the laptop sensor and little did I know, the arrow thing was still on bid now. One bid bought him.” Luke Tabbakh joked.

“I called them to try and get out of it, but they reckon no chance, it was the smallest horse in the sale. One bid at $10,000 online got him,

“I was in a fair bit of trouble with the Mrs and then trying to organise to get back to Perth.”

Luke however struck gold when APG managed to slightly rectify the issue, getting the horse down to $5000, instead of the initial $10,000 he had bid.

“I didn’t even want to him broken in; I was so embarrassed.

“I reckon it took me six months to get him to Pete’s (Tilbrook) to break in, I even said leave him in Melbourne to be someone’s pet.”

The embarrassment has subsided, and Tabbakh has even confirmed that his little ‘mistake’ is now his favourite horse but did confirm he’s still yet to grow.

Lukes Mistake has now had 18 starts for 2 wins and 5 placings, with his stakes now sitting at $21,406 for his connections, including a win last start at Northam where he was able to lead all the way in race three on the card.

The three-year-old lines up from barrier 6 this Friday in the $50,000 Caduceus Club Classic for the 3YO’s, with Emily Suvaljko on board for the drive.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ashleigh Paikos, for RWWA