By David Nagel
Luke Oliver is ready to take the step from well-respected trainer to the elite status of Group-1 winner as he and his team establish a strong stable at the Cranbourne Training Centre.
Oliver, who moved from Caulfield to Cranbourne in 2020 – and now trains on-course – has prepared more than 600 winners since living out his dream of becoming a trainer.
“I just had a love of horses and a love of racing; my grandfather was a bookmaker, so that’s my connection to the sport,” Oliver explained.
“I was studying at Uni, but I really had a passion for horseracing; I got in touch with Racing Victoria, started up with a stable on weekends and away we went from there.”
Oliver was dedicated to his dream from the outset.
“I did TAFE courses as well but I was a pretty keen worker and student of what was going on around me, because it wasn’t just a job for me, it was my dream and passion to be involved,” he said.
“I asked a lot of questions, made sure I worked with the right people, and pretty much committed my life to it to be honest.
“That was almost 25 years ago, and it’s been basically every day of my life since then.”
Oliver initially cut his teeth working for James Riley, a small trainer who was the first Australian to win a race at the Hong Kong International race meeting, training State Taj to success in the 1994 Hong Kong Cup.
Oliver rates the late Rick Hore-Lacy and multiple Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Lee Freedman as great mentors as well.
The now 45-year-old built a strong base at Caulfield before training on a farm at Romsey for two years.
He then had contact with Cranbourne CEO Neil Bainbridge and the rest, as they say, is history!
“Caulfield was great, and that’s where I grew up, so there was a lot of sentimental attachment to Caulfield, but in reality, the facilities for the horses at Cranbourne are significantly better,” Oliver said.
“The fact that we have a purposely built training facility, next door to the racecourse, is second to none.
“Caulfield was great, but their main interest was the racing side, but here it’s all about the training.
“All the upgrades they are constantly doing make it horse heaven, and trainer-heaven as well.
“We’ve got a balcony that overlooks the training track, you just couldn’t get better facilities anywhere.”
Oliver’s Stable Manager, Georgie, is also now his wife after the pair got married in August.
They’ve not only made a lifelong commitment to each other, but a long-term one to Cranbourne.
“We just bought a house in Cranbourne, got married this year, so we’ve made a big commitment to the area, and if I’m going to continue to be a racehorse trainer you wouldn’t want to be anywhere other than Cranbourne.
“They’re not going to close this place down in a hurry.
“Georgie’s a Vet Nurse by trade, so helps with the horse management, but in recent times she’s probably more about looking after the owners and making sure they enjoy their ownership experience with the stable.”
It’s a stable that has recently had a cull, with Oliver keen to inject some high-end talent into the 40 boxes he currently occupies on-course.
The aim…to win at the highest level of the sport.
“I don’t want more horses, but definitely the quality is picking up,” Oliver said.
“And I never really thought about it, for the first however many years I’ve trained, but I’ve trained over 600 winners but never a Group-1 winner, so that’s a box I’d like to tick off.
“If we increase the quality, that will give us a better chance of having Group-1 runners and then winners will come as a consequence.
“That has to be the focus now, to improve the quality and hopefully find that special horse.”
Oliver Sensational Toy as the favourite horse he has trained, but thinks his Cranbourne Cup Day winner Megamea will almost certainly become his best.
The six-year-old mare was previously trained by the popular Udyta Clarke who, quite literally, handed the reins over to Oliver due to illness.
Megamea won the $150,000 Leilani Final at Flemington in early July, before scoring an emotional victory at Cranbourne on cup day.
“The win at Flemington was very special, but the win on Cranbourne Cup Day was next level,” Oliver said.
“I’m proud of the horse and proud to be part of that story.”
Oliver hopes to have some key runners engaged in the Dual Code race-meeting at Cranbourne on Thursday 29 December.
