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Damien Oliver
Damien Oliver (born 22 June 1972) is an Australian retired thoroughbred racing jockey. Oliver comes from a racing family; his father Ray Oliver had a successful career until his death in a race fall during the 1975 Kalgoorlie Cup in Western Australia. In 2008, Oliver was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. In August 2023 he announced that he would retire at the end of that year's spring carnival.
Damien Oliver was born on 22 June 1972 in Perth, Western Australia. His father, Ray Oliver, was a jockey who died in Kalgoorlie from falling off his horse when Damien was three years old. As a child, he attended Byford Primary School in Byford, Western Australia.
Oliver's riding career started in 1988, and he completed his apprenticeship with his stepfather Lindsey Rudland and Lee Freedman. His first win as an apprentice was in March 1988 on Mr. Gudbud, at Bunbury, Western Australia and his first feature race win was the AJC Warwick Stakes. Unfortunately he suffered a series of injuries including a broken spine in March 2005, sustained in a fall at Moonee Valley. He returned to riding after that back injury and rode the Japanese horse Pop Rock in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, which finished second to stablemate Delta Blues. In the 2007 Melbourne Cup, he placed second to Efficient on English horse Purple Moon.
Oliver has won the Melbourne Cup three times: on Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002), and Fiorente (2013); the Caulfield Cup on Mannerism (1992), Paris Lane (1994), Doriemus (1995), and Sky Heights (1999); the Cox Plate on Dane Ripper (1997) and Northerly (2001); and the Blue Diamond Stakes on Alinghi (2004). He was also the regular rider of Lee Freedman's champion sprinter Schillaci (1991–95) and top filly Alinghi (2003–05). In the 2007 Golden Slipper, Oliver completed the grand slam of Australian racing by winning the two-year-old race on the John Hawkes trained Forensics.
From 1989 (his first ride) to 2023 (his final ride) in the Melbourne Cup, Oliver was only absent from three editions of the race, 2005 due to injury, 2017 due to suspension and 2022 due to his ride Durston being withdrawn from the race with injury.
On 22 September 2010, Oliver pulled out of rides at a Sandown meeting, while helping police with their inquiries into a criminal investigation.
In 2011, The Cup, a biopic starring Stephen Curry, was released. It covered Oliver's relationships with his family and how he overcame the death of his brother Jason Oliver and won the 2002 Melbourne Cup two weeks later on Media Puzzle.
In 2013, Oliver won his third Melbourne Cup riding the favourite, Fiorente. This ride was also his 100th Group 1 win. The victory was trainer Gai Waterhouse's first victory in the Melbourne Cup.
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Damien Oliver
Damien Oliver (born 22 June 1972) is an Australian retired thoroughbred racing jockey. Oliver comes from a racing family; his father Ray Oliver had a successful career until his death in a race fall during the 1975 Kalgoorlie Cup in Western Australia. In 2008, Oliver was inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. In August 2023 he announced that he would retire at the end of that year's spring carnival.
Damien Oliver was born on 22 June 1972 in Perth, Western Australia. His father, Ray Oliver, was a jockey who died in Kalgoorlie from falling off his horse when Damien was three years old. As a child, he attended Byford Primary School in Byford, Western Australia.
Oliver's riding career started in 1988, and he completed his apprenticeship with his stepfather Lindsey Rudland and Lee Freedman. His first win as an apprentice was in March 1988 on Mr. Gudbud, at Bunbury, Western Australia and his first feature race win was the AJC Warwick Stakes. Unfortunately he suffered a series of injuries including a broken spine in March 2005, sustained in a fall at Moonee Valley. He returned to riding after that back injury and rode the Japanese horse Pop Rock in the 2006 Melbourne Cup, which finished second to stablemate Delta Blues. In the 2007 Melbourne Cup, he placed second to Efficient on English horse Purple Moon.
Oliver has won the Melbourne Cup three times: on Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002), and Fiorente (2013); the Caulfield Cup on Mannerism (1992), Paris Lane (1994), Doriemus (1995), and Sky Heights (1999); the Cox Plate on Dane Ripper (1997) and Northerly (2001); and the Blue Diamond Stakes on Alinghi (2004). He was also the regular rider of Lee Freedman's champion sprinter Schillaci (1991–95) and top filly Alinghi (2003–05). In the 2007 Golden Slipper, Oliver completed the grand slam of Australian racing by winning the two-year-old race on the John Hawkes trained Forensics.
From 1989 (his first ride) to 2023 (his final ride) in the Melbourne Cup, Oliver was only absent from three editions of the race, 2005 due to injury, 2017 due to suspension and 2022 due to his ride Durston being withdrawn from the race with injury.
On 22 September 2010, Oliver pulled out of rides at a Sandown meeting, while helping police with their inquiries into a criminal investigation.
In 2011, The Cup, a biopic starring Stephen Curry, was released. It covered Oliver's relationships with his family and how he overcame the death of his brother Jason Oliver and won the 2002 Melbourne Cup two weeks later on Media Puzzle.
In 2013, Oliver won his third Melbourne Cup riding the favourite, Fiorente. This ride was also his 100th Group 1 win. The victory was trainer Gai Waterhouse's first victory in the Melbourne Cup.