Cover image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
Opal Ridge, the tenacious 3-year-old daughter of Rubick scored her biggest success to date on Saturday at Rosehill Gardens winning the Listed Darby Munro S. adding herself to an honour roll that includes Mazu (Maurice {Jpn}), Peeping (Redoute’s Choice) and Krone (Eurozone).
But the story is so much more.
On G1 Golden Slipper Day when racing’s biggest operations Coolmore and Godolphin scored Group 1 victories with their million-dollar stallion prospects. Opal Ridge epitomises racing to the average person, a game where anybody can compete if they are blessed with a horse good enough.
Luke Pepper | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Trained by Luke Pepper and owned by father and son Allan and Ryan Hunt, Pepper and Ryan Hunt sat down with TDN AusNZ to talk about the emergence of their star filly.
“We need to go back to the beginning,” says Hunt. Whose passion for the sport and his filly is evident from the first sentence.
“My dad (Allan Hunt) has always been into horse racing and when I was about 10 years old I told him, one day I will have enough money for you and I to have a horse together.”
“My dad (Allan Hunt) has always been into horse racing and when I was about 10 years old I told him, one day I will have enough money for you and I to have a horse together.” - Ryan Hunt
Hunt never forgot his promise to his father but the self-confessed “country boy", admits they didn’t have a lot of money. But a life-altering event caused Hunt to make good on the promise.
“Dad got sick and was diagnosed with Leukaemia and later Prostate Cancer. So, I said to him, 'Alright now is the time, let’s do it now', because it was looking pretty bad.”
Choosing racehorse ownership as a distraction and to hopefully bring joy to his father’s battle with the devastating illness.
Connections (Allan {red cap} and Ryan Hunt {black cap}) of Opal Ridge after she won on debut at Canberra | Image courtesy of Pepper Racing
The first purchase
Ryan purchased a yearling filly by Magic Albert from the 2016 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale for just $3000. Named Revitup Rednut (Magic Albert) the mare won five races and earned more than $150,000 in prizemoney. No world beater, but the mare gave the father and son plenty to smile about during the tough time.
“We had such a great time, it was a real distraction for what he was going through at the time.”
In an unfortunate twist of events that seemed more movie plot than real life, Ryan - a father of two - was diagnosed with bowel and liver cancer.
“That was a real shock to us and I went and did all the treatment. I finished my treatment and we retired Revitup Rednut. Then my cancer came back!”
Allan Hunt with his son Ryan riding a horse as a child | Image courtesy of Ryan Hunt
Sticking to the formula that proved effective the first time, the Hunts decided to buy another horse.
The venue of choice was Day 3 of the 2021 Inglis Classic Yearling Sale. With a budget of $30,000, Hunt admits the daughter of now Swettenham-based sire Rubick wasn’t on his shortlist.
“I just thought with Rubick standing for a fee around $30,000 at the time I wasn’t going to get away with buying one for my budget. I had marked progeny of sires standing for much less, and I wasn’t having much luck.
“At one point I felt I wasn’t even going to walk away with one of those, it was a strong sale.”
Opal Ridge as a yearling | Image courtesy of Inglis
Seeking advice from Inglis’ Senior Bloodstock Consultant Harry Bailey, Hunt hoped Bailey could point him in the direction of horse within his budget that had been passed in.
“He said, 'Look there’s two and out of those two I’d recommend the Rubick filly a bit more', I went down and saw her.”
The filly was Lot 524 a pretty chestnut daughter of Rubick and the first foal from the triple winning Myboycharlie (Ire) mare Chadana. She was consigned by Carramar Park on behalf of her breeders the Alchin family.
“I couldn’t work out why she had been passed in. She was a really nice filly, straight and correct, everything was where it should have been. Everything just ticked the boxes for me.”
“I couldn’t work out why she (Opal Ridge) had been passed in. She was a really nice filly, straight and correct, everything was where it should have been. Everything just ticked the boxes for me.” - Ryan Hunt
“I negotiated with the vendor (Carramar Park) and we settled on $20,000 for her.”
“Ruby” as she is affectionately called by Hunt was taken to his property and let out into a paddock with two of Hunt’s broodmares.
“They raced the paddocks, and Ruby (Opal Ridge) just stood still watching them race. I had never encountered anything like that especially from a yearling,” said Hunt.
“I looked at Dad and said that’s one out of the box there. Either we have bought a dud or a Group horse. They just don’t do that; she was so calm and docile.”
Hunt and Pepper combine
As Ruby grew and developed it was time for that crucial next step in the life of a young horse, who would train this filly? As the theme of this story, fate would intervene and bring two pals together.
“Luke (Pepper) and I grew up in our hometown of Moruya together. He was a few years older than me, we knew of each other around the racetrack and we become closer as I got into my 20s.
Opal Ridge after winning the Listed Darby Munro S. | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“Revitup Rednut was actually with Luke early days but when she kept running seconds, I couldn’t afford to keep paying his training fees and had to look for a cheaper option. Although that hurt him, he took it well.”
Trainer Terry Robinson was down to be the beneficiary of the then 2-year-old Opal Ridge. But a change of plans saw Robinson having to turn down the filly.
And the daughter of Rubick would find her way to then Canberra-based horseman Luke Pepper.
Pepper is no stranger to the feel and attitude of a good horse. He spent his early days as a key part to one of the wonderful stories of the Australian turf, travelling and riding the great Takeover Target (Celtic Swing {GB}) for trainer Joe Janik.
Two-time Group 1 winner Takeover Target | Image courtesy of Sportpix
Pepper told TDN AusNZ: “I have been training since about 2005. Originally I rode a lot of showjumping and eventing and I needed to pay for my show horses. I started at a place called Ringo Stud, on the South Coast and spent a lot of time learning and working at the studs.
“I moved to Canberra and started a job with a trainer Barbara Joseph (Joseph and Jones Racing) as a trackwork rider, then I was Nick Olive’s foreman. Then I got the job of riding Takeover Target and after he retired I started training myself.”
Opal Ridge entered the Pepper stable as a 2-year-old and didn’t take long for the filly to leave an impression on the experienced horseman.
“She was always very straightforward, and she wasn't much to look at in the early days. She was a bit plain after the education process.
“She went out for a little break after being educated. When they sent her back, I actually thought they had sent me the wrong horse. The difference in her was just unbelievable, she was a different animal more athletic. And once we started doing some fast work with her I realised we had something above average.”
“She (Opal Ridge) went out for a little break after being educated. When they sent her back, I actually thought they had sent me the wrong horse. The difference in her was just unbelievable...” - Luke Pepper
When a horse comes along that looks to be something out of the box, it makes it easier to get out of bed in the morning. The anticipation and hope this could be the “one” lingers. However, in a game where dreams and plans can go out the window in a matter of minutes, nobody ever expects for such things to materialise.
“I knew we had a decent one from her work, but whether it was a handy horse or a stakes horse I wasn’t sure. She had worked with a couple of my older horses who are quite handy and she had them covered.”
Ryan at the time of Opal Ridge’s first race was in hospital undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
“I remember thinking there was no way I was going to miss her debut. So, I disconnected myself from the chemo and scooted up to Canberra,” Ryan said.
Opal Ridge debuted at Canberra on January 21 in a 2-year-old handicap winning in the style of a good horse. Thoughts quickly turned to Black Opals and Slippers.
“The next morning after the race she walked out of her box lame on her hind leg. We found out she had a hairline fracture to her tibia bone. She didn’t need surgery, it was recommended a good break,” Pepper told TDN AusNZ.
Opal Ridge winning at Randwick | Image courtesy of Ashlea Brennan
“To tell you the truth I think it was a blessing in disguise. She went out and had a really good spell and she returned bigger and better again.”
In between Pepper left Canberra and moved to Scone where he now trains on-course at the Scone racecourse
Hunt said: “Luke and I have a great relationship. I can communicate with him openly. When he moved to Scone, as it was so far away, I told him if she’s just a bush horse being down there I’ll rarely get to see her, if you think she is I’ll move her closer to me.”
Pepper, by this stage, was adamant the filly could be something more after winning her second start at their new home track.
Fast forward to March 20, 2023, and the filly has won five races and placed twice from just eight starts with prizemoney over $500,000.
Shooting for the stars
She is of course now a Listed winner and connections harbour big plans for their star girl.
Hunt says: “The jockey-feedback is always so interesting. They always comment on her will to win, they tell me she’s so relaxed until that crucial point in her races when she really digs down, and you can hear her grunting and mustering every last bit of strength to hit the line first.”
Pepper adds immediate aims could be the G3 PJ Bell S. over 1200 metres at Royal Randwick on April 1.
“I admit I wasn’t expecting her to blow that field away like she did. There are so many options, we could look at the G1 Tatts Tiara or the G1 Stradbroke H. in Brisbane during the winter carnival, where she would get in light at the weights,” said Pepper.
Hunt says: “Oh, the G1 Doncaster could be an option, but I’d love to have a chance to run in The Everest if she continues performing this way. I may sound biased, but I believe she will get better.”
“Oh, the G1 Doncaster could be an option, but I’d love to have a chance to run in The Everest if she (Opal Ridge) continues performing this way. I may sound biased, but I believe she will get better.” - Ryan Hunt
Although The Everest talk may seem early, people in racing know how quickly things move in this industry.
Pepper putting the trainer’s cap back on said: “We will just let her racing speak for itself, she’ll guide us. She’s a little animal out on the track. She is honestly just amazing.”
“It’s a real Cinderella story, isn’t it?” says Hunt.
It most certainly is.
