Damien Oliver will make a flying trip to Hobart on Friday to ride Our Harmony in the Group 3 $125,000 Magic Millions Bow Mistress Trophy (1200m).
Damien Oliver will ride Our Harmony, above, in the Bow Mistress Trophy at Hobart. Photo by Adrienne Bicknell.
Oliver will take over from Regan Bayliss in the fillies and mares weight for age race after the gun apprentice has been aboard the David Brideoake trained mare at her last three starts.
Bayliss and Our Harmony combined for a fifth in an 1100m Mares Handicap at Caulfield in August and then teamed up again over the Summer for a third in a 1000m BenchMark 90 Handicap at Flemington on New Year’s Day followed by a second over 1200m in a BenchMark 90 Handicap at Moonee Valley on January 23.
Our Harmony has drawn barrier eleven in the fifteen horse field plus two emergencies and Oliver will have to use all his skill to find some cover midfield.
The Hobart track has been rated a Soft 6 on Tuesday following 36.5mm of rain in the last week, but with mostly fine weather leading up to Friday, there is a good chance of track upgrade.
Cranbourne trainer Robbie Griffiths will saddle two runners in the Bow Mistress Trophy, Nadeem Lass and Mossbeat and both mares were out of luck at the barrier drew.
Number one saddlecloth holder Nadeem Lass has drawn the outside gate at seventeen but will jump from fifteen when the field is reduced by two at scratching time while Mossbeat came up with barrier twelve and will stay in that gate if both emergencies fail to gain a start.
Trainer Michael Kent accepted with Miss Steele who also fared ordinary in the barrier draw with fifteen while Nikki Burke’s Nautical drew closer to the inside at five.
Oliver will return to Melbourne to ride at Caulfield on Saturday with his main assignment being the Mick Price trained Extreme Choice in the Group 3 $150,000 Chairman’s Stakes (1000m).
Another win by Extreme Choice will cement his spot at the top of the market order for the Group 1 $1.5m Ladbrokes Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 27.
The Tasmanian Racing Club’s Summer Carnival continues on Monday and Oliver has been booked to ride the Peter Moody trained Metaphorical in the Group 3 $200,000 Hobart Cup (2400m).
Moody has also nominated first starter Gratwick and Fraar Jester in the Listed $100,000 Elwick 2yo Stakes (1100m) and All That I Know in the Listed $100,000 Strutt Stakes (2100m) for the three year old fillies.
