A Perth local, Oliver has ridden 127 Group 1 winners but just three have come in his home state, with wins in the 1992 WA Derby (now a Group 2), the 2009 Kingston Town Classic (now The Northerly) and more recently aboard Voodoo Lad in the 2018 Winterbottom Stakes.
The Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes (1200m) is again the race Oliver will be looking to win having been booked to ride the Rob Heathcote trained Rothfire, a winner of the Group 1 JJ Atkins Stakes (1400m) as a two-year-old.
“I always like to go back to Perth and ride the carnival if I can and I didn’t have a commitment for the Winterbottom, and he’s (Rothfire) been running so well through the Melbourne Spring. I heard he was going and thought I’d see if I could get on him,” Oliver said.
Oliver has never ridden Rothfire but is no stranger to the horse, having run second to him aboard Zoustyle in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) earlier this Spring.
With many other high profile jockeys including Damian Lane, Jye Mcneil and Hugh Bowman set for stints in Japan and Hong Kong, the fifty-year-old hoop will spend some time visiting family in Perth and has no firm plans over the Pinnacles carnival.
“I’m riding Ballarat Cup day so I’ll be coming back for the Ballarat Cup, that’s Railway Stakes day (19th) so I’m not going for that. I’ll miss Sandown Classic day, I think that’s Winterbottom day,” Oliver said.
“I’m not sure how long I’m going to stay or come back and forth a bit at this stage.”
Whilst not confirmed to be riding at the meeting yet, Oliver revealed that Rothfire wouldn’t just be targeting the Winterbottom, with another start pencilled in.
“I think he’s going to run in that new 1400m race (The Gold Rush)”, Oliver said. The $1.5 million Gold Rush is a new 1400m weight-for-age race at Ascot on the 10th of December, and with the news, Rothfire has been backed into as short as $6 and $9 (TAB) for the Winterbottom and Gold Rush respectively.
