Champion jockey Damien Oliver links up with the prominent Mark Kavanagh stable at his first Saturday meeting back at Flemington when he rides Shadowfax in the Chester Manifold Stakes.
Oliver only returned at Sandown on Wednesday after surgery on his right hip joint and femur and although he was unplaced in his three rides he was happy to be back doing what he loves doing.
“My right hip was a bit nagging on and off over a few years and I’d been putting it off so I decided to bite the bullet and get it cleaned up,” Oliver said.
“It’s all good now and I’m looking forward to Saturday and the build-up to the autumn.”
He hadn’t ridden since VRC Oaks Day 10 weeks ago – five days earlier having ridden a treble on Derby Day aboard Glass Harmonium in the Group One Mackinnon Stakes, Hurtle Myrtle in the Group One Myer Classic and Sister Madly in the Group Two Salinger Stakes.
His last winner was Combat Kitty in the Listed Lexus Hybrid Plate on Melbourne Cup day.
Oliver has ridden Shadowfax once for a win in a 1200m race at Moonee Valley in December 2010.
The opportunity arose for him to get back on Shadowfax as stable jockey Michael Rodd will be at the Gold Coast to ride the Kavanagh-trained filly Alezan Thunder in Saturday’s $2 million Magic Millions Classic.
Oliver’s most notable successes for the Kavanagh stable have been four wins aboard Whobegotyou – the 2009 Group One Caulfield Stakes and Group Two victories in the 2009 Feehan Stakes and last year’s Blamey Stakes and PB Lawrence Stakes.
Shadowfax goes into Saturday’s Listed 1400m feature fourth-up and a month after his 12th in the Group Two Villiers Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm on December 17.
On that occasion he was ridden back by Glyn Schofield but failed to run on and finished 10 lengths behind the winner Monton.
At his previous outing the Daggers Drawn six-year-old was beaten a long head when runner-up to Alpha Proxima over 1400m at Caulfield on December 3 while his first-up run was on Cup day at Flemington when fourth to Facile Tigre in the MSS Security Stakes (1200m).
Shadowfax is at $10 with TAB Sportsbet which has the unbeaten three-year-old Pied A Terre as $3.20 favourite ahead of There’s Only One ($5.50) who is after her sixth straight win.
Let’s Be Happy, the winner of seven races this season, has been scratched.
Oliver has five rides at Flemington including another Kavanagh runner in first starter If I Could ($2.70 fav) in the Better Beyond Plate (1000m).
The two-year-old colt, by Iffraaj, is a half-brother to 2010 Group One Rosehill Guineas winner Zabrasive.
AAP TURF
