Ken Casellas | Photo: Gloucester Park Harness Racing
Forty years ago, Ross Olivieri achieved his first Group 1 success when he trained and drove Tebaldi to victory the 1982 New South Wales Oaks at Harold Park, and a year later he prepared Gliding Princess for her win in the NSW Oaks.
Since those heady days the 68-year-old Olivieri has nurtured an ambition to win the WA Oaks. But he has been thwarted many times — until he broke through the seemingly impenetrable barrier when Chris Voak drove Taking The Miki to a thrilling victory in a dramatic blanket finish to the $150,000 The Trots WA Oaks at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
This gave Olivieri his 30TH Group 1 winner in a distinguished career in which he has been WA’s premier trainer eight times.
“I’ve had a few Oaks pass me by,” he said after Taking The Miki, a $10.20 chance, had burst her way between horses in the final stages to beat Little Darling ($6.50) by a half-head, with $26 chance Acharne Girl a head away in third place.
In 1985 Olivieri sold Countess Gina on behalf of owner Michael Edgley just before the WA Oaks, in which Fred Kersley Jnr trained and drove that filly to victory over Penny Opera. Then ten years later Parthenon, trained and driven by Trevor Warwick, won the WA Oaks after the filly had been trained by Olivieri until a disagreement with owner Roy Annear resulted in a stable change in the lead-up to the classic.
Olivieri then had the disappointment of preparing three second placegetters in the Oaks this century — with Hindu Sitara finishing a half-length behind Miss Holmes in 2004, Arctic Fire finishing second to Millwood Meg in 2010, and Double Expresso finishing a head second to Sports Package in 2020.
“Voaky has been trying to win a Group 1 race for me for many years, and he has done so at last — and he’s absolutely thrilled,” said Olivieri, who will retire as a trainer at the end of this year before continuing to assist his wife Jemma Hayman, who will take the reins as the stable’s trainer.
Olivieri and Voak had planned to take advantage of the No. 1 barrier by winning the start and setting the pace. But Taking The Miki was burnt off by $23 chance Sovrana, who began brilliantly from the outside barrier (No. 9) on the front line and dashed straight to the front.
“I thought it was a 50-50 chance of this happening, and if Aiden (De Campo) pressed the button coming out of the gate, we couldn’t hold Sovrana out,” said Olivieri. “I said to Voaky if that happens, don’t panic because you will get a nice run behind the leader.”
Im Themightylucy, the $3.90 second favourite, locked wheels with Dontbesillychilli soon after the start and lost valuable ground. Im Themightylucy dropped back to second last in the field of twelve before Gary Hall Jnr dashed the small filly forward after 400m to move to the breeze.
Wonderful To Fly, the $2.65 favourite, raced wide early and then settled down at the rear before Shane Young sent her forward to race outside the frontrunning Sovrana with 1350m to travel.
At the bell Little Darling had been shuffled back to tenth. She surged forward, out wide, in the final circuit and loomed as the likely winner on the home turn. But she failed to hold out Taking The Miki, who was eased off the pegs by Voak 300m from home and sprinted strongly to get to the front in the final couple of strides.
Wonderful To Fly, a winner of 21 races, faded to finish tenth. A post-race veterinary examination revealed that the filly was lame in both forelegs.
Taking The Miki is by American sire Always B Miki and is the first foal out of Bettors Delight mare All American Dream, who had 63 starts on South-West and Great Southern tracks for four wins — two at Busselton and two at Bunbury — for earnings of $23,908.
Taking The Miki was purchased for $26,000 at the 2020 Perth APG yearling sale and is raced by Jemma Hayman, Steve Burnside, Garry McRae, Bernie Eales, Debbie Putland, Bill Brandsma and Ted and Margaret Russell. She has raced 23 times for six wins, nine seconds and two thirds for stakes of $198,180.
“Apart from her three runs before the Oaks (when finishing seventh, fifth and sixth) Taking the Miki did not miss saluting the judge at her previous 19 starts,” said Olivieri. “She was the fastest two-year-old filly last year, and the fastest of all time at Gloucester Park, when she rated 1.54.2 in winning the 1730m Group 2 Gold Bullion final in April of last year.
“We have had an injury and illness interruption with her, niggling little things that prevented us from having the right preparation into the Oaks. She got sick and had hock problems, and we have got her right just in time.
“We might have a throw at the stumps for the WA Derby next month. It depends on whether she keeps improving.”