Damien Oliver hopes to hand Waterhouse the famous Melbourne Cup trophy for the first time

EXCLUSIVE: TWO-TIME winner of the Melbourne Cup Damien Oliver will ride favourite Fiorente in the hope of handing trainer Gai Waterhouse the trophy for the first time.

DAMIEN Oliver knows as well as anyone the significance of winning the Melbourne Cup.

A two-time winner of the great race, Oliver will today ride favourite Fiorente in the hope of handing Sydney trainer Gai Waterhouse the famous trophy for the first time.

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And after being banned from racing for 10 months for breaking the rules of racing, he said he was as determined as ever to salute again in the race that stops a nation to put a positive slant on a tough year.

"It's the biggest race on the calendar and you don't get many chances so it's always something special,'' he said.

"It's not just another race.''

Oliver was suspended for eight months for placing an illegal bet on a rival horse he was racing and slapped with a further two-month ban for using a mobile phone in a prohibited area.

The ban, for a $10,000 bet made through a third party, stopped Oliver mounting Fiorente in the Cox Plate.

Damien Oliver will ride Fiorente in the Melbourne Cup.

But with the suspension ended and his name next to the Cup favourite, last year's runner-up, Oliver said he felt blessed to again be competing for a third Melbourne Cup.

"It's pretty unique and I feel pretty lucky to be involved,'' he said. "There are not too many races in the world that compare, that evoke people's imagination the way that the Melbourne Cup does.''

Oliver, who won the 1995 Cup aboard Doriemus and the 2002 race on Media Puzzle, rode Fiorente yesterday morning and offered a glowing endorsement of his chances afterwards.

"Bring on the race,'' he said.

He said this year's field was among the best he had seen, but rated his main rivals as English stayer Mt Athos, galloper Dandino and Sydney stayer Hawkspur.

"There is a lot of depth to this year's Melbourne Cup,'' he said. "It's probably one of the strongest fields I've seen in many years.''

But he said Waterhouse had set Fiorente specifically for today's feature race.

"He's in great condition and a horse you want to ride in a Melbourne Cup,'' he said.

"We just need a little luck along the way.''