Oliver Salutes Again In Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes
Sun Herald
Sunday September 21, 2008
ORANGE COUNTY's win in yesterday's group 1 Sir Rupert Clarke Stakes at Caulfield had a profound effect on leading jockey Damien Oliver, who has now won the race six times in the past 18 years.
Oliver scored his first group 1 win in the same race in 1990 on the Bart Cummings-trained Submariner, and his winning sequence has continued for nearly two decades. "I've always enjoyed riding at Caulfield, I only said to my wife this morning that 18 years ago I won my first group 1 event, and I must say I've put a few kilos on since," Oliver said. Trainer Brian Mayfield-Smith was also moved by the victory as he believes that Orange County was worthy of a major group 1 event. "He's been really honest during his career but never quite winning, but this is ample reward for him, and I don't think his run of victories will stop today," he said."We'll bring him back and try to win the Toorak Handicap with him and then perhaps squeeze him out to 2000 [metres]." Meanwhile, despite almost falling off smart three-year-old Fernandina in the early stages of yesterday's Caulfield Guineas Prelude, jockey Vald Duric managed to win the group 3 event.
© 2008 Sun Herald
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