Fortunes fluctuate in most walks of life, but in the racing game they can literally run amok. Just ask Scone trainer Luke Pepper who’s been at both ends of the spectrum in the last few weeks. Luke couldn’t have been in better spirits on the last day of February as he loaded his promising three year old filly Opal Ridge onto a float bound for Melbourne. The daughter of Rubick was set to make her return to racing in the $750,000 Inglis Sprint down the straight at Flemington, and the trainer was bullish about her prospects. She was the winner of four from seven at that stage and had furnished magnificently during a long spell. An easy trial win at Scone had fitted her beautifully for the Melbourne assignment.
An overnight stay at Matt Dale’s Goulburn stables was followed by a leisurely trip down the freeway, and Opal Ridge was bucking her brand off when she checked into Team Snowden’s Flemington stables on the Wednesday afternoon. “She hadn’t turned a hair on the trip and simply thrived for the rest of the week,” said Luke. “Some of the owners were already in Melbourne while others were in transit. I really thought she would give them a big sight in the Inglis Sprint despite the presence of a few handy horses.
“She had a five minute trip on the truck from Snowden’s stable to the tie-up stalls. You couldn’t believe what happened in that five minutes. A horse next to her decided to put on a tantrum which must have spooked our filly. We don’t know how it happened, but as she came off the truck we were horrified to see a piece of skin the size of a fifty cent piece missing from her near front shin. She wasn’t lame and was totally unfazed by the experience but those Melbourne vets are pretty unforgiving. Our hearts sank when they ruled her out of the Inglis Sprint. It was a long and lonely drive back to the Hunter Valley.”
Luke Pepper understands the vagaries of racing luck - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Two weeks on, and Opal Ridge travelled beautifully from Scone to a vibrant Rosehill Gardens on Saturday for her engagement in the Irresistible Pools Darby Munro Stakes - a listed 3YO race over the Golden Slipper course. A horror barrier draw dimmed Luke’s confidence, but it also took the guesswork out of the planning of race tactics. “I asked Tyler to take her straight back from the extreme outside gate, find the fence and ride her for luck in the straight,” said Luke. “The same lady luck who deserted us in Melbourne, didn’t stop doing us favours on Saturday.”
With Nettuno and Cinderella Days carving out a brisk pace up front, Tyler Schiller bided his time at the tail of the field, before leaving the fence and probing for an opening at the top of the straight. He was probably heartened by the fact that fancied runners like Kote and Economics were also needing a bit of luck.
Tyler aimed for a needle eye split between the rapidly tiring Cinderella Days and Insurrection at the 200m and hoped for the best. Opal Ridge was oblivious to the restricted racing room as she burst through to go after Space Walk who’d sprinted clear for Hugh Bowman. She quickly reeled Space Walk in, and then the best part of her work began. The daughter of Rubick absolutely “savaged” the line to win by a tick under two lengths from Kote who had an excuse or two, with Space Walk third.
Opal Ridge showed amazing race sense to win the Darby Munro on Slipper day - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
Tyler Schiller’s talents were widely lauded before he joined Mark Newnham at Randwick, but Luke Pepper likes to think he was one of the first to see something special in the young Riverina jockey. “I’m delighted to say I was able to provide his first winner at a TAB meeting, and he got the job done like a seasoned veteran,” said Luke. “Tyler was claiming 4kgs at the time, but that didn’t deter the punters who sent Gold Touch out a short priced favourite in a BM58 at Wagga almost four years ago. The replay of the race is worth a look. The mare was worse than midfield and cluttered up between horses coming to the turn, but Tyler was as calm as you like and just nudged his way into the clear at the top of the straight. Gold Touch rounded them up easily. It was the ride of a much more experienced apprentice.”
The Opal Ridge story is well documented. The filly was purchased by father and son duo Allan and Ryan Hunt at the 2021 Inglis Classic Sale, specifically for Luke Pepper to train. Even though Rubick had sired the Everest winner Yes Yes Yes about sixteen months earlier, Opal Ridge’s immaturity put many potential buyers off. She was actually passed in on the day but Allan and Ryan were able to negotiate privately. They brought her home for an astonishing $20,000. The Hunts put together a syndicate of friends, and named their new acquisition Opal Ridge for no other reason than the way it flowed off the tongue. The Darby Munro win on Saturday took her record to five wins and two placings from just eight starts for $550,000. The world is her oyster.
“From the moment she was broken in she was going to make the grade,” said Luke. “I kept her in the stable for ten days after she was broken in, and actually rode her several times. It was as though she’d been here before - sensible, calm and a great work ethic. You could see she was still a long way off physically, which prompted me to get her straight into the paddock. When she came back to the stable after that first spell, I thought they’d sent me the wrong horse. She looked like a real mare as she paraded before the Darby Munro on Saturday, but I don’t think she’s there yet. Have another look in six months time. She’ll look like Makybe Diva by then.”
Opal Ridge won her first race at Canberra early last year - an open 2YO race over 1000m with Kayla Nisbet on board. The euphoria shared by connections was quickly dispelled when she walked out of her box the following morning noticeably lame in a hind leg. Luke’s relief was immense when Canberra vets diagnosed a fairly innocuous hairline fracture above one hock. “They were pretty confident the injury would heal completely with a long spell and thank goodness their opinion has turned out to be spot on,” says the trainer.
Kayla Nisbet was the rider when Opal Ridge debuted with a brilliant win at Canberra 2022 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
By the time Opal Ridge was ready to resume racing, both she and her trainer had a new address. High worker’s compensation costs under the ACT Government are causing Canberra’s professional horse trainers a great deal of grief. NSW based trainers pay premiums of $30,000 less than their ACT counterparts. Luke’s application for on-course stables at Scone had been on the table for close to a year when he was finally offered seventeen boxes in the complex. He reluctantly fled the ACT in the middle of last year, to be followed soon after by Matt Dale who relocated to Goulburn, and Nick Olive who’s now in Queanbeyan.
It’s well documented that Racing NSW has begun the massive project of constructing new stabling for 300 horses at the Hunter Valley track. Luke has no desire to train large numbers, but hopes to level out at thirty horses in the not too distant future. Opal Ridge’s continued success has obviously brought the forty two year old trainer to the attention of new owners, and Hunter Valley breeders who like to race some of their favourite fillies before sending them to stud.
Prior to the emergence of Opal Ridge, a gelding called Viceroy had been Luke’s all time favourite. The Magnus gelding had won races at Balaklava and Ballarat before finding his way into the stable, but was far from finished. “We were lucky enough to win one race at Wagga and three at Canterbury with Viceroy,’ said Luke. “He also ran second in a Wagga Town Plate and a close fourth to Havasay in a Grafton Ramornie Hcp. He retired three years ago but has a home for life at our place. He actually accompanied Opal Ridge to Rosehill on Saturday and was tethered alongside her in the tie-up stalls. He loves a day at the races. I’m pleased to say my partner Tahnee Mills still pops him over a few jumps from time to time.”
Viceroy in one of four wins for Luke Pepper - Canterbury 2017 with Tye Angland in the saddle - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Since moving to Scone with Luke last year, Tahnee has been able to combine her passion for racehorses with an avid interest in the anatomy of the thoroughbred. “Soon after arriving she was delighted to land a job as a scientist with the Hunter Equine Centre,” said Luke. “She helps out around the stable as much as she can, before and after her commitments at the Equine Centre. Tahnee can’t believe her luck in being able to combine both of her chief interests.”
To date Luke has insisted on keeping the lid on the likely potential of Opal Ridge. “She’s got a stakes win under her belt now which probably entitles us to be a little bit cheeky,” said the popular trainer. “We’re going to organise a round table conference with all owners this week, to kick a few ideas around. The obvious next step is the Gr 3 P.J Bell Stakes for 3YO fillies on the opening day of The Championships. After that we could look at the Gr 3 Hawkesbury Guineas at the stand alone Saturday meeting. That would give her a nice step up to 1400m. Looking way ahead, a trip to Brisbane isn’t completely off the table. If she keeps improving, the Gr 1 Tatts Tiara is a very real possibility.”
Opal Ridge seems oblivious to track conditions. Here she is winning the Tapp/Craig last October in H10 conditions - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
I’m pleased to pointer the fact that Luke Pepper will be a special guest on our regular podcast presentation in the next few weeks. He’s the first to admit that his initial racing aspiration was to be a jockey, but weight soon decimated that dream. Before abandoning the idea completely, he made a quick little foray onto the picnic circuit. His journey from that point on has been a fascinating one. Watch out for the Luke Pepper podcast soon.
(Banner image - Opal Ridge stormed home from last to win the Darby Munro Stakes - her first stakes victory - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)