Hall of Famer Oliver announces imminent retirement
Legendary Australian rider Damien Oliver has announced his retirement from race-riding at the age of 51, with his final ride set to be in his home state, Western Australia in December.
The champion jockey is one of just eight jockeys to have won the ‘big four’ of Australian racing, landing a trio of Melbourne Cups (Gr 1, 3200m), four Caulfield Cups (Gr 1, 2400m), two Cox Plates (Gr 1, 2040m) and a Golden Slipper Stakes (Gr 1, 1200m).
A further ten Melbourne Jockeys’ Premierships, 11 Scobie Breasley Medals for riding excellence, 128 Group 1 wins and a record 84 wins during the Melbourne Cup Carnival are also numbers Oliver has amassed throughout a glittering 36-year career in the saddle, and the Perth-born rider feels the time is right to announce an end to his extraordinary racing story.
“It wasn’t an easy one,” Oliver told Racing.com. “I had a good holiday at the end of winter last year and had thought whether I’d finish up then or go on.
“And after a good break, I felt nice and refreshed and thought I still had another good Spring Carnival left in me at least. I had thoughts whether I just wanted to go out quietly, which kind of is a little bit more my style.
“I would’ve been happy to do that. But I feel the industry’s been so good to me that I probably would’ve been a bit selfish and I owed it more than that to give it one last crack.
Oliver, whose father Ray died while competing in the 1975 Kalgoorlie Cup, and whose brother Jason also passed away after a fall at a Belmont trial in October 2002, will finish his career at the Perth Racing Carnival in December.
“Finishing up in Perth just sounded right to me, (going back to) where it all started,” he said. “So, I will go through the spring and then finish up at the end of the Perth Racing Carnival in December. For me, as a young kid coming from a racing family, I never thought I’d have the success that I did.
“When I look back, I have to pinch myself really. [Western Australia is] where it all started out for me and some of the far-flung bush tracks that you couldn’t imagine that I ever started at, but it’s where I cut my teeth and learned, started out my journey and it’s taken me all over the world and had success that I couldn’t have imagined of.”
While he enjoyed many incredible days in the saddle, the rider said his Melbourne Cups stand-out amongst his most memorable moments. The trio of wins is undoubtedly headed by his triumph on Media Puzzle (Theatrical) for Irish trainer Dermot Weld in the 2002 edition of the Flemington showpiece, a victory he dedicated to his late brother, who lost his life only days before.
“My Melbourne Cups are probably the most memorable and all for different reasons,” Oliver said. “And not just those, the other big wins like the Cox Plates and Caulfield Cups along the way.
“So many good horses and good memories and great people that have given me opportunities along the way. I can’t thank them enough.
“I was glad I was able to pull that Melbourne Cup off in memory of my brother because he was such a big influence on my career and it was a great legacy for him.”
Commonly referred to in Australia as the ‘GOAT’, i.e Greatest Of All Time, Oliver reflected upon having that title among many industry professionals and racegoers, and also spoke of sharing his final Melbourne Cup ride alongside Frankie Dettori, who will also be retiring at the end of this year.
“When I think of the term GOAT, it’s more of a slow horse to me than a great sportsman. But it’s a title that it’s an honour for people to call me and if that’s what they want, then I’ll certainly take it,” he said.
“That’ll be exciting. Frankie’s a worldwide champion and a great ambassador for the sport, so it’ll be great to have him here during the Spring Carnival, but I look forward to going out amongst my peers as well, who I really respect.”