Pepper aiming to run hot again with progressive pair

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By Neil Evans

September 28, 2025 — 5.00pm

One of Canberra’s leading stables is eyeing off an early double strike for the same sire-line at Monday’s Wagga meeting.

Aiming to snap a somewhat frustrating start to spring, the Luke Pepper yard heads to the Riverina confident a strategic country placement can pay big dividends for a pair of progressive four-year-old mares.

Racing returns to Wagga Wagga on Monday.

With only three winners since early August, the stable can turn things around early on the eight-race program destined to be run on a good-rated surface.

The first of those comes in the second race, with progressive mare The Eyes Have It tackling a Maiden Plate over 1200m.

An improving daughter of Brutal, The Eyes Have It will be having her third run for the Pepper stable since transferring down from Nathan Doyle at Newcastle.

And after a solid closing run at home 24 days ago, she looked set to open her account last start until being edged out late by promising Warwick Farm-based four-year-old Felis Chaus.

But that form certainly reads well for a Wagga maiden where The Eyes Have It comes back 100m in distance.

She opened around $3.40 in early betting narrowly ahead of improving local four-year-old Sonic Scene ($3.60) and Tumut three-year-old Rum Jungle ($4.60).

Then in the next race – Maiden Handicap over 1400m – Pepper will be out to rub more salt into rival wounds with fellow mare Brutal Belle, naturally also by Brutal, who is primed to finally break through deep into her campaign.

She seemingly had put the writing on the wall nearly two months ago charging home from a mile back at Moruya to only miss by a long neck.

But since then, Brutal Belle has hit the line hard to again beat all but the winner, the latest missing by a half head.

Opening also around $3.40 across early markets, she looks ready to snap that run of minor placings for her long list of owners, getting back on to a bigger track in what is a moderate looking race.

Supplied by Racing NSW