Olive Finding His Voice
- Wednesday, 25 November 2009 03:30
Nick Olive has made a heady start to the season and there could be bigger things to come with the return of stable star Voice Commander.
Olive, who is based in Canberra, sits atop the combined NSW provincial and ACT trainers' premiership with 28 winners and is in the top 10 in the overall state title led by Darley's Peter Snowden.
It is some feat considering Olive only has around 32 horses in work at any one time.
"It's been a bit quiet for the last couple of weeks but we've had a great start to the season," Olive said.
"We've had 29 winners (at all venues) so it has been a bit of a whirlwind start."
Things could be about to get even better for Olive who has welcomed back stable stalwart Voice Commander.
The dual-listed winner is one of 15 nominations for an 1150-metre Open Handicap at Randwick's Kensington track on Saturday.
He has 57kg in that race and 61kg in the Myer Fashions On The Field Open Hcp (1200m) at his home track a day later.
Olive is still weighing up his options but is favouring the assignment closer to home.
"I'm leaning towards starting him at Canberra, just to save travelling," Olive said.
"His first run is not normally his best run so it would be good to kick him off in that company."
Apprentice Ben Moffatt, who claims two kilos, has been booked to ride him at Canberra while his regular jockey Tye Angland will jump aboard stablemate Grand Rhumba.
Voice Commander, who won the Weetwood Handicap at Toowoomba during the winter carnival, has not raced since finishing a sound sixth to Trusting in the Group Two Warwick Stakes in August.
Olive spelled him after that run with a view to next year's Magic Millions carnival at the Gold Coast.
Voice Commander finished third to Masai Pride and subsequent Stradbroke Handicap winner Black Piranha in the Magic Millions Cup (1400m) this year and Olive again has his sights on the $500,000 race.
"He was still going quite well when we put him out but we wanted to get him ready for Queensland," Olive said.
"The Magic Millions Cup is his main aim this campaign, it's a half-million dollar race and it's restricted to Magic Millions horses."
Voice Commander has an established pattern as an on-pace runner but at times has been over-keen.
Olive said he had returned with a more relaxed attitude and hoped that would transfer to the racetrack.
"He's a lot more settled this preparation, not that we're going to start riding him back but hopefully he might settle better in some of his races," he said.
