Luke Pepper’s usually a sound sleeper but he forsook a few valuable hours last week in weighing up options for his exciting three year old filly Opal Ridge. Luke nominated the daughter of Rubick for both the Denise’s Joy Stakes and the Luskin Star Stakes on the second day of the popular Scone Carnival. She would have carried 59 kgs against her own age group in the Denise’s Joy and faced the danger of being bustled over the 1100m course. In the Luskin Star she’d have to race older and more seasoned horses, but had only a kilo over the limit in a much more suitable 1300m event. Luke left her in both races at acceptance time but informed the handicappers the Luskin Star was his preferred choice. As it turned out he needn’t have wasted that valuable sleep.
With the near certainty of a brisk pace in the Luskin Star, the cool headed Dylan Gibbons let Opal Ridge begin under her own steam and wasn’t perturbed when he realised he was going to be posted three wide for the trip. Luckily, he had cover behind One Aye in a fast run race. When Gibbons came to the outside at the top of the straight, he knew the filly would have to do something pretty special. She duly obliged. Eight lengths from the lead on straightening, Opal Ridge won by a widening 1.59 lengths after joining the leaders 100m from home. Suffice to say Dylan Gibbons was stunned by her amazing turn of foot. Luke was relieved that he’d pulled the right rein. “I agonised over the decision to run her against some seasoned performers, but it all worked out in the end,” said the trainer.
All four feet were off the ground as Opal Ridge stormed home to win the listed Luskin Star Stakes - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.
“Surprisingly she got a little stirred up before the race on Saturday. This was only the second time she has actually raced at home, and it seemed to confuse her a little. She’s accustomed to coming to the track every morning when there are only a few people around. This time there were people everywhere and the public address was in use for much of the time. She got a bit lively in the tie up stalls but was pretty good in the parade yard. Interestingly she’s more relaxed away from home.”
Many tagged Opal Ridge as a specialist mud runner when she churned through bottomless going to win the Tapp/Craig at Randwick last October. Nobody was surprised when the remaining four races were abandoned. Trainer Luke Pepper was pleased to see the Rubick filly handle the conditions as well as she did, but knew in his heart she was better on top of the ground. “You’d be surprised how many people thought she was flattered by the heavy track on the day,” he said. “I believe it was simply a case of her handling the conditions better than anything else. She wasn’t completely happy with it, but the others were worse. Remember she’d had half a dozen runs coming into that race and was probably fitter than the others on the day. She copes with heavy conditions but only just.”
Opal Ridge handled a quagmire track better than the others to win at Randwick last October - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
Opal Ridge came up beautifully after a lengthy spell, and Luke decided to launch her autumn campaign down the famous Flemington straight in the $750,000 Inglis Sprint. The experiment turned out to be a disaster when Opal Ridge was spooked by another horse in the truck on the short journey from Team Snowden’s Flemington stables to the tie up stalls. “She lost a piece of skin the size of a fifty cent piece from her near side shin,” said Luke. “You could have knocked me over with a feather when the vets ordered her withdrawal. The trip home to Scone was one of the loneliest of my life.”
Opal Ridge was having her first run in five and a half months when she took on three year olds in the 1200m listed Darby Munro Stakes at Rosehill on March 19th. A horror barrier draw took the guesswork out of the planning of tactics. Luke asked Tyler Schiller to take her straight back at the start, and ride purely for luck. She got the lion’s share of good fortune in coming from last and securing a needle eye split at the 200m. Opal Ridge was unfazed by the restricted room, and fairly exploded when she got into the clear to put a decent gap on Kote and Spacewalk. “Her mudlark tag diminished a little after that win,” said Luke. “Her turn of foot on a firm surface was there for all to see. I hoped the rain would stay away for the rest of the carnival, but it was not to be.”
Several days of heavy rain took the gloss off an attractive Doncaster/Derby day programme. It was a Heavy 9 for the commencement of racing and goodness knows what by the time Opal Ridge stepped out for the Gr 3 P.J. Bell, the last of ten races. With memories of her October win on the ‘bog” track still in the minds of punters, the filly went out as a $2.40 favourite. Tyler Schiller elected to go back from a tricky gate which saw Opal Ridge worse than midfield on the corner. She followed Magic Time up the rise, but couldn’t stay with the Victorian filly from the 200m. “Her wheels were really spinning this time,” said Luke. “After struggling for a few strides she knuckled down in the last bit to wind up fourth and was going much better than the second and third placegetters right on the line. I prayed the rain would go away before her next run.”
Sydney’s autumn soaking continued for another couple of weeks, and to the consternation of punters Randwick got a H8 rating for the final day of The Championships. Luke’s worst fears were realised when the 1400m James Carr Stakes was run at a muddling speed. “They sprinted from the top of the straight and again she was scrambling for a hundred metres,” said Luke. “She got going in the last bit to finish fifth only 2.3 lengths from the winner Olienta. I went home that night convinced she was screaming for a firm track. We had a month to go until the Scone carnival and I can tell you I counted every cloud last week. Although her record shows a Heavy 10 win, she’s a lot more than a wet tracker. I’ll be studying the Queensland weather maps over the next few weeks.”
Opal Ridge showed what she can do on a firm track with an explosive win in the Darcy Munro Stakes at Rosehill 18/03/2023 - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
One hour before the running of the Luskin Star Stakes another of Luke’s seventeen horse team was successful at the Tuncurry-Forster meeting on the mid north coast. Five year old mare Bacari raced outside the leader from the 1000m before winning a 1600m maiden with Kody Nestor in the saddle. The daughter of Reliable Man brought up another success story from the bi-monthly Inglis Digital Sale, which gains popularity every week. “The mare had run several country placings and boasted a decent pedigree,” said Luke. “My partner Tahnee and I decided to look for a potential broodmare which might be able to pay its way for the time being. We were stunned to get Bacari for $1500 which looks pretty good alongside the $8000 she earned on Saturday. We’ll step her up in distance now because she’s clearly one paced.”
Luke reports that Opal Ridge’s two year old half sister Diamond Ridge has just gone into pre-training following a lengthy spell. The trainer spotted her in a Tasmanian Yearling Sale Catalogue last year a few weeks after Opal Ridge had won her first race at Canberra. “I hoped not too many people had noticed her win, and quickly organised a friend to inspect the Outreach filly for me,” said Luke. “I got her for $30,000 and shipped her to Scone straight away. She’s been a slow developer like her sister and I’ve given her miles of time. She did plenty wrong in two barrier trials in February after which we got her straight to the paddock. I had a look at her the other day and she’s furnished a lot, just as Opal Ridge did. I’ve retained fifty per cent while the other half was taken up by some of Opal’s owners. We’re looking forward to getting her to the races.”
For now Opal Ridge is Luke’s primary focus. He intends to have a throw at the stumps in the $3 million dollar Stradbroke Hcp on June 10th. “Three year olds have a pretty good record in the race, and this filly is the right type for a fast run 1400m at Eagle Farm,” said Luke. “We’re delighted that Tyler Schiller has confirmed his availability. He can make the weight comfortably and knows the filly backwards. All we can do now is pray for a good track and a genuinely run race. Win, lose or draw in the Stradbroke we’ll give the Gr 1 Tatt’s Tiara some serious thought provided she pulls up in top shape.”
This is the cheer squad likely to descend on Eagle Farm when Opal Ridge tackles The Stradbroke on June 10th - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
It’s been a fascinating journey for Luke Pepper from the Ryde Pony Club in Sydney to a high level of competition in the show jumping arena on the NSW South Coast. Then came a five year stint at the picturesque Meringo Stud at Bergalia where his passion for thoroughbreds was ignited. He learned the basics of racehorse management from established trainers Barbara Joseph and Nick Olive before deciding to acquire his own licence. He spent his early years as a trainer at Canberra and would still be there had it not been for the tough Worker’s Compensation costs imposed by the ACT Government. He fled to Scone in the middle of last year when a seventeen box complex became available on the popular Hunter Valley racecourse. Saturday’s black type triumph with his all time favourite horse has whetted his appetite for a shot at the elite level. You can be sure Opal Ridge will have the horse float to herself as she travels to Eagle Farm on Stradbroke day.
Luke with yet another item for the trophy cabinet Moruya 2017. It's been quite a journey from the Ryde Pony Club to racing's biggest stage - courtesy Bradley Photographers.
(Banner image - A Steve Hart low angle shot as Opal Ridge powers away to win the Luskin Star Stakes before a big crowd at Scone - courtesy Steve Hart Photographics.)