This story might end in Scone. But it started in Canberra. Every way that you look at it.
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Not only did trainer Luke Pepper move to the capital to begin his racing career, but Opal Ridge also started his career with a win at Canberra's Thoroughbred Park.
Now she's the $2.60 favourite for the $2 million Kosciuszko at Randwick on Saturday.
And in a moment of irony, The Kosciuszko will bring together three of Barbara Joseph's former employees in the one race - while she looked set to miss out with her charge, Super Helpful, an emergency.
With all 14 Kosciuszko runners passing their veterinary examinations on Thursday it will take a scratching before 7.30am on Saturday for Joseph to get a run.
Pepper, Nick Olive and Scott Collings all worked for Joseph - the queen of Canberra racing - at Thoroughbred Park at the same time, before eventually going on to carve out their own training careers.
Olive has Kimberley Secrets ($31) in the Kosciuszko, while Collings' Mogo Magic ($9) was also one of the top fancies.
The ties don't just end there - when Olive became a trainer in his own right, he took Pepper with him to become his foreman.
When Pepper then went out on his own he returned to Moruya, where he grew up, before coming back to "take things more seriously" in Canberra.
Now he's based at Scone, having moved up there due to the exorbitant workers compensation premiums in the ACT.
Pepper said Canberra had played a massive role in getting him to this point - on the verge of a $1 million pay day.
Even Opal Ridge started out in Canberra, winning a two-year-old handicap (1000m) on debut in January last year.
Since then the four-year-old mare has won $681,000 in prize money, a couple of listed races and finished second in a group 2 - as well as saluting in the $500,000 Tapp-Craig (1400m).
"She kicked off there in Canberra and won her first start there," Pepper said.
"We had plans of Black Opals and whatever, but she suffered an injury after he first start and had to be spelled.
"[Joseph and Olive played] a huge role. I'm still very close to them, I still talk to them all the time and Barb was amazing.
"We had a runner in the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cups - invaluable experience through both trainers."
Pepper originally moved to Canberra as a 16-year-old to ride trackwork for Joseph.
He also rode trackwork for legendary Queanbeyan sprinter Takeover Target at the same time.
It saw him get a taste of the biggest races in the world - strapping Ain't Seen Nothin' for the 2003 Melbourne Cup, while he helped prepare Takeover Target for trips to Royal Ascot in England and Japan.
Joseph was full of praise for Pepper's riding ability, which she felt gave him an edge in his training career.
It meant he knows exactly how his horse is travelling - having ridden top horses in the past as well.
"He'd only been riding in shows and came up - he soon picked up trackwork riding and was very, very good at it," Joseph said.
"He was a great asset to the stable while he was there - he was there 6-8 years.
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"He was a very good judge if they were going to be any good or how they were going.
"If you're riding work and you're a trainer you know how good your horse is going yourself and you're not relying on anyone else to get off and tell you how they're going."
Olive was his foreman when he first arrived at Joseph's stable and then became his boss when he went out on his own taking Pepper with him.
He backed Joseph's sentiments and said Pepper's riding was his biggest strength.
"It's been exciting to watch his journey. He's done well, Lukey," Olive said.
"This is probably his first real good horse he's had, Opal Ridge, and he's doing a great job with it. It's good to see."
THE EVEREST RACE DAY
Saturday: The Kosciuszko at Randwick, 2.50pm.
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