In a dramatic twist to an already eventful week, champion jockey Damien Oliver will be riding Alligator Blood in today’s $750,000 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield.
Oliver recently announced his year-end retirement and was initially without a mount for the Group 1 race.
However, a twist of fate saw Tim Clark sidelined due to a fall at Wyong on Friday, paving the way for Oliver to take the reins on Alligator Blood.
This union reunites Oliver with Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, the team behind their 2013 Melbourne Cup victory with Fiorente.
Oliver rode Alligator Blood in last year’s Memsie Stakes, where the horse finished seventh.
In related news, the Waterhouse/Bott stable has chosen Jordan Childs to ride Sir Lucan in the Heatherlie Stakes.
Meanwhile, James McDonald has been cleared to ride at the Randwick program after a medical evaluation following his fall at the Wyong Cup meeting.
