The New South Wales town of Lightning Ridge lies in the Walgett Shire of the state, just inside the border from Queensland. Its nearest good transport link is the Castlereagh Highway, just 6 kilometres east of the town, and the town is famous for the mining of black opals. The land was originally inhabited by the Yuwaalaraay people until European settlers arrive, and is reputedly so named because in the early 1870s travellers found the dead bodies of a shepherd, his sheepdog and over 200 of his flock which had been struck by lightning. In the early years of the 20th century the businessmen, involved in the wool trade, decided to race their horses against each other, the earliest of these individual race meetings taking place on Easter Sunday 1911. However, within 5 months the inaugural meeting organised by the Lightning Ridge Amateur Race Club was staged on Tuesday 5th September 1911, opening with a Trial Stakes over 6 furlongs which was won by Hoodice owned by Mr D Caton, beating Poppyfield and Cubbie. |
Tuesday 5th September 1911
Lightning Ridge Gem Handicap (£20) over 1 mile
1. Wool Prince owned by Mr E Lewis and ridden by R Dempsey
2. Pedro owned by Mr W J Watkins and ridden by W Watkins
3. Lady Chance owned by Mr R Barton and ridden by C Paterson
12 ran
The meeting continued the next day when the highlight of the entire meeting, the Opal Buyers’ Gift Bracelet (£100) over a mile was held, resulting in a win for Mr H C Lewis with Eurool.
Wednesday 6th September 1911
Opal Buyers’ Gift Bracelet (£100) over 1 mile
1. Eurool (6/4 fav) owned by Mr H C Lewis and ridden by H H MacDonald
2. Pedro owned by Mr W Jakins and ridden by Mr W Watkins
3. Wool Prince owned by Mr H E Lewis and ridden by Mr R Dempsey
8 ran |
Early Lightning Ridge Opal Bracelet winners
(A full list of winners is available on request)
1911 Opal Buyers Bracelet (£100) over 1 mile was won by Eurool (6/4 fav) owned by Mr H C Lewis and ridden by H H MacDonald, beating Pedro and Wool Prince 8 ran
1912 Lightning Ridge Opal Bracelet (80 guineas) over 1 mile 1 furlong was won by La Bellis (4/6 fav) owned by Mr T P Britton and ridden by D Catton, beating Wool Prince and Prize Cup 4 ran
1916 Opal Bracelet over 7 furlongs was won by Flossie (1 /2 fav) ridden by A Flagatty, beating Lady Gem and Ross Hampton 4 ran
1918 Opal Bracelet Mile was won by Crowned Earl (2/1) beating Carteen and Sunny Park
1920 Opal Bracelet (£80) over 1 mile was won by Pallapah (Evens fav) ridden by Daniels, beating Negro King and Pinep |
Today, over a century later, the Ridge racecourse remains as popular as ever, attracting large crowds to enjoy competitive racing on its 1200 metre straight track. The highlight of the racing calendar at the racecourse is the Opal Bracelet Cup, which celebrates the town’s links with the mining of black opals, and is traditionally staged on Easter Saturday.
Recent winners of the Lightning Ridge Opal Bracelet Cup
(A full list of winners is available on request)
2009 Opal Bracelet Cup ($3,500) over 1200 metres was won by Gelmood (7/4 fav) trained by P N Ayoub and ridden by James Geppert, beating Crowntreno and Faux Pas 4 ran
2010 Lightning Ridge Cup ($3,500) over 1200 metres was won by Popran (7/1) trained by Terry Fahey and ridden by Jeff Kehoe, beating Stornaway Road and Storm Seeker 6 ran
2011 Lightning Ridge Cup ($3,500) over 1200 metres was won by Sea Commands (11/8 fav) trained by J Lundholm and ridden by Jeff Kehoe, beating Éclair Magique and Mr Braveheart 5 ran
2012 Lightning Ridge Cup ($3,500) over 1200 metres was won by Temperate Prince (4/1) trained by Robbie Harrison and ridden by James Geppert, beating Pipers Point and Gold Palm 7 ran
2013 Lightning Ridge Cup ($4,540) over 1200 metres was won by Equable (8/1) trained by Kevin Dixon and ridden by Jeff Kehoe, beating Esprit Lad and Adriatic Ocean 4 ran
2014 Lightning Ridge Cup ($4,540) over 1200 metres was won by Seaza (11/2) trained by Sheree McEwan and ridden by Shaun Bayliss, beating Sergeant Bilko and Poetic Justice 6 ran
2015 Lightning Ridge Cup meeting was abandoned
2016 Lightning Ridge Cup ($4,540) over 1200 metres was won by Dabamirak (5/4 fav) trained by Paddy Cunningham and ridden by Tiffany Jeffries, beating More of the Zaim and Dayzari 8 ran
2017 Lightning Ridge Cup ($4,620) over 1200 metres was won by Miss Mellencamp (5/1) trained by Rodney Robb and ridden by Clayton Gallagher, beating More of the Zaim and Dabamirak 7 ran |
