Damien Oliver expects track conditions at Randwick on Saturday to be significant for what is shaping as a mouth-watering clash of weight-for-age stars in the Queen Elizabeth Stakes.
Oliver is excited to be reunited with the Peter Moody-trained Manighar in the Group One Queen Elizabeth (2000m).
The imported galloper won the Australian Cup, Ranvet Stakes and BMW Group One treble with Luke Nolen aboard this autumn.
Nolen will be in Adelaide to ride Black Caviar in the Sportingbet Classic as the great mare shoots for her 20th consecutive win.
Oliver rode Manighar in the past two Caulfield and Melbourne Cups when the gelding was trained by Luca Cumani.
He said it would be fantastic if Manighar could continue his autumn winning run on Saturday.
“OTI Racing are the owners and they have been big supporters of mine so it would be nice after having ridden him in all those Cups to win a good one on him,” Oliver said.
“He’s been in great form and Peter has done a great job with him.
“I expect him to run pretty well. Americain is obviously going to be hard to beat. I think the conditions of the track will be important.
“Manighar is probably a horse that’s better on top of the ground and Americain is a horse that’s better on softer ground.”
Sydney’s pin-up horse More Joyous is set to back up in the Queen Elizabeth after her thrilling win in Saturday’s Group One Doncaster Mile.
“That will add another dimension to it,” Oliver said.
“It will be a great race.”
Oliver finished out of the money Wall Street in Saturday’s Doncaster but was impressed by More Joyous who scored her seventh Group One success.
“She’s pretty good, isn’t she? She’s a winner,” he said.
Oliver said the biggest thing he had noticed with Manighar this campaign was that he seemed to have a more acceleration and tactical speed.
He also believes having dry tracks has been another key factor in his autumn success.
Oliver will be chasing a Group One double in OTI Racing’s colours as also partners Drunken Sailor in the Sydney Cup (3200m).
Drunker Sailor was narrowly beaten in the Adelaide Cup (3200m) two starts ago and was third last time out in the BMW (2400m) behind Manighar and Americain.
“He’s been racing really consistently and should be right there again,” Oliver said.
“Permit looks the obvious danger and also Niwot. They have got a little bit of a pull in the weights on him but he’s very consistent and always puts himself there so he won’t be far away.”
