Exciting Rubick filly Opal Ridge was first up form a spell in the Listed ATC Darby Munro Quality (1200m) at Rosehill on Saturday and showed her class when steaming home to run straight past the colts and geldings for a stylish victory.
Trained at Scone by Luke Pepper, Opal Ridge showed good potential in several stakes races last spring before closing out her campaign winning the inaugural $500,000 ATC Tapp Craig over 1400m beating Pericles, who was a close second as favourite in the Group I ATC Rosehill Guineas.
Given the strength of that form, she always looked to be in the mix and under a cool ride from Tyler Schiller overcame a bad gate to win by two lengths running away.
“When she drew gate 16, I said to Tyler ride her quiet and take her back, she’s got a good turn of foot,” said Luke Pepper.
“What a ride, he just got through and she as dominant. I think she can get better as she’s still maturing and I think she can get a bit further, so the world is her oyster, but we’ll celebrate today.”
A modest $20,000 Inglis Classic purchase for R Hunt from the Carramar Park draft, Opal Ridge has been a model of consistency with five wins and two placings from eight starts earning in excess of $530,000 in prizemoney.
Bred by Wayne and Pauline Alchin, Opal Ridge is the ninth stakes-winner for Swettenham Stud's Rubick and is the first foal from winning Myboycharlie (IRE) mare Chadana, a half-sister to Group III ATC Adrian Knox Stakes winner Candelara, who was also third in the Group I ATC Australian Oaks.
Chadana was on-sold by Carramar Park for $12,000 through Inglis Digital in 2021 to Queensland based Fig Tree Farm.
The yearling Headwater colt from Chadana was not surprisingly bought by Luke Pepper at Magic Millions Book 2 from the draft of Fig Tree Farm for $80,000.
