Scone trainer Luke Pepper hopes punters won't see Opal Ridge again until the $2 million The Kosciuszko (1200m) on October 15 after the filly pulled up well from a gritty Highway Handicap victory on a heavy Randwick track on Saturday.
The three-year-old, a $2.50 favourite, was forced to work to the line to overhaul leader Prince Nicconi in a match race down the straight of the 1200m class 3 handicap.
With gun jockey James McDonald aboard, Opal Ridge finished just under half a length clear, scoring her first city win and third overall from five starts.
Eighth in the group 2 Silver Shadow Stakes two weeks earlier, Opal Ridge was given a first crack at Highway grade rather than push on to another 3YO fillies feature - the Furious Stakes - on Saturday.
Pepper hoped the win against older, country-trained horses would lead to an early Kosciuszko spot. Slot-holders for the premier country race at Randwick are drawn on Friday.
"She's pulled up super, she ate up last night and was nice and bright this morning, so I couldn't be happier with her," Pepper said on Sunday.
"I was just rapt with how it all went yesterday.
"We're probably just going to give her an easy week out in the paddock. She's pretty rock-hard fit as it is. It's six weeks into the Kosciuszko, so she needs a bit of downtime.
"Then we've got to see how the ticket draw goes and if we get offers. It would be great if we got one, then we can work out a game plan to get her there as fit as possible.
"I highly doubt she'll go back to the races before it. I'd say I will probably look at trialling her a couple of weeks before and have her into the race at her next start."
Pepper had no other immediate targets in mind for Opal Ridge, which he believed had similar appeal as 2020 winner It's Me for the Kosciuszko. It's Me, which is back in contention this year, was a lightly raced four-year-old mare on the rise for Scone trainer Brett Cavanough in 2020.
Opal Ridge was into $8, the second line of betting, for the Kosciuszko on Sunday with Bet365.
"She's pretty adaptable and really tough this filly, so if there's a filly who can do it, it's going to be her," he said.
"I think there's always those top four or five who seem to get their run every year in the race, so hopefully a new, fresh horse on the scene can get the job done.
"Obviously it's always hard to beat the older horses, no matter what grade you're in.
"It's always hard this time of year. You've got your group level for the fillies, otherwise you're back in benchmark company against the old hardheads anyhow, so I think being a country-only race worth $2 million, it's definitely worth a crack with a filly like her.
"I think her form is fantastic and she's just a winner, she just tries her guts out.
"Winning on the heavy track, it's definitely a feather in her cap. She's probably not at her best on it, but she was able to win, so it's a definite positive for her. She placed on the heavy at Rosehill as well and it was quite testing yesterday.
"It's just good to get the win with her. She'd been very unlucky in her two starts in Sydney and I think drawing a nice gate, J-Mac at his best, it was great to watch."
Meanwhile, Kris Lees-trained Willinga Beast was a head away from victory in the Furious Stakes, after North Star Lass fought back late in another match race on Saturday.
Enchanted Heart was also second for the top Newcastle trainer in the listed Chautauqua Stakes at Moonee Valley in her farewell run before going to stud.
Lees announced on Saturday that international racing identity Andrew Le Jeune was joining his team as client relations and communications manager.
