Damien Oliver secures farewell ride in Melbourne Cup

Retiring jockey great Damien Oliver has scored a ride in the Melbourne Cup, giving him a final chance to equal the record of wins in Australia’s biggest staying race.

Damien Oliver receives a standing ovation before riding in the Cox Plate for the final time. Picture: Vince Caligiuri/Getty Images

Australia’s greatest jockey of all-time Damien Oliver may have been unlucky in the Cox Plate, but he has scored a farewell Melbourne Cup ride.

Oliver, who saw little clear air late in the Cox Plate when finishing fourth on Duais, will partner Alenquer for Mike Moroney in Tuesday week’s Melbourne Cup.

It will give the retiring Oliver a final chance to equal the record of four Melbourne Cup wins by a jockey, a record currently shared by Bobbie Lewis and Harry White.

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Oliver has won Melbourne Cups on Doriemus (1995), Media Puzzle (2002) and Fiorente (2013).

In August, News Corp exclusively revealed that Oliver was retiring and would hang up the saddle in December after one final Victorian spring carnival.

Since revealing his retirement plans, Oliver has added to his Group 1 tally by scoring the Underwood Stakes on Alligator Blood.

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Oliver, now with a record 129 Group 1 wins, will need to weave magic to win his farewell Melbourne Cup given that Alenquer is currently rated a $101 chance on TAB fixed odds.

Oliver rode Alenquer when the stayer had little luck and finished ninth behind Lloyd Williams-owned Cleveland in Friday night’s Moonee Valley Gold Cup.

Originally published as Damien Oliver secures farewell ride in Melbourne Cup