Step in ... Damien Oliver will ride Fiorente. Source: News Limited
CHAMPION jockey Damien Oliver is the new rider for Melbourne Cup favourite Fiorente after Nash Rawiller was sensationally sacked.
Connections of the Gai Waterhouse-trained import sacked her premiership rider after he finished fourth on the six-year-old in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.
There was criticism that he settled too far back in the field and did not allow the galloper the chance to win the race.
Connections clearly are not prepared for a similarly super run in the Cox Plate or Melbourne Cup, only to fall shy again.
The connections told Waterhouse that Oliver was their target as he is a Melbourne major race specialist, and she concurred.
Oliver has won the Cox Plate on Dane Ripper (1997) and Northerly (2001), the Melbourne Cup on Doriemus (1995) and Media Puzzle (2002) as well as four Caulfield Cups.
Waterhouse said the decision to remove Rawiller was made jointly by her and the owners.
Oliver and Rawiller did not respond to calls.
“Damien Oliver will ride Fiorente in the Cox Pate and the Melbourne Cup, Nash was only ever booked race to race,” Waterhouse said.
“The owners and I made the decision Damien would ride the horse.
Axed ... Nash Rawiller loses his ride on the Melbourne Cup favourite. Source: News Limited
“The owners wanted a jockey based in Melbourne, someone who is riding the tracks every day.”
Waterhouse is delighted that the Victorian champion Oliver will partner her inform galloper.
“He’s the most talked about horse going into the Cup,” Waterhouse said about her six-year-old imported entire.
“He’s got the perfect formline, he’s got previous history in the Cup when he ran second (last year). He’s certainly one of the horses to beat. It’s never an easy task, but he’s certainly on target.
“Damien is riding like a man on a mission at the moment. He’s been out for a while, but he’s got a hunger about him, and he’s riding my horses very well in Victoria.”
Oliver was in outstanding form since returning last month from a 10-month betting ban until he was suspended last week.
He returns to the saddle today and is preparing to partner the fancied Prince Harada in Saturday’s Group 1 Caulfield Guineas after jumping off the Waterhouse-trained Divine Calling on whom he has won the past two races.
Rawiller made it clear before the spring that he wanted to partner Fiorente in the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup this year.
He forfeited rides on the Group 1 days of the Golden Rose and Epsom Handicap to ride the runner-up in last year’s Melbourne Cup.
He finished fourth in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes at Caulfield at the end of August, and then came from last with a withering run to win the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley three weeks ago.
He deployed similar tactics in the Turnbull on Saturday. He was last of 16 with 400m to run and flashed home to finish fourth only a length from the winner Happy Trails.
Punters jumped aboard the Fiorente bandwagon immediately after the Turnbull run, with the TAB making him the $5 third favourite for the Cox Plate (2040m on October 26) and the $6 outright favourite for the Melbourne Cup.
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