Ollie boards a flight to Oaks glory
Kris Lees reckons it is the best $400 he has spent.
The Newcastle trainer pulled off a masterful training performance in Saturday’s Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2200m) when he combined with the legendary Damien Oliver to win with six-start veteran Amokura.
In a stunning rise to fame, Amokura went from Newcastle Maiden winner six weeks ago to Group 1 winner two starts later thanks to a railhugging ride from Oliver, who made every post a winner.
Following her nine-length Class 1 win at the Sunshine
Coast on a Sunday last month, Lees was on the hunt for an Oaks jockey, originally pleading with Hong Kong-based Hugh Bowman to make the trip back to Australia, before seeking out Oliver.
While Bowman’s flights back from Hong Kong attracted a big price tag, the return flights from Melbourne proved a shrewd move, with Lees turning $400 into $420,000 for connections.
“Hugh was too tight to fly back, Ollie was the cheaper option,” Lees said with a laugh post race.
“He was $400, the other bloke (Bowman) was $4000.
“He took a bit of convincing to come up here, but here we are, what a great result.”
It is Oliver’s first Group 1 in Queensland since 2014 when he won the Stradbroke Handicap aboard roughie River Lad.
It marked Lees’ second Queensland Oaks win, coming 18 years after Vitesse Dane won with Bowman on board.
Returning jockey Martin Harley almost pulled off a fairytale, holding on to run second aboard $101 chance Reo after hitting the front early in the straight.
Meantime, Rob Heathcote will launch a two-pronged attack on next Saturday’s $3m Stradbroke Handicap, as Prince Of Boom confirmed his spot with a painless win in the Moreton Cup.
Prince Of Boom is set to join Heathcote’s Group 1 warrior Rothfire in Queensland’s most coveted race, with the TAB slashing Prince Of Boom’s Stradbroke odds from $26 to $11.
The new frontier for the horse will be seeing out a strong 1400m, especially in Group 1 company.