Arguably Australia’s greatest-ever jockey, Damien Oliver, announced his retirement last week.
Oliver will ride this year’s Spring Carnival, before hanging up the silks.
His last ride will be in the West Australian Carnival, meaning he will see out his days in the saddle in his home state.
The 51-year-old has ridden the most Group 1s in Australian history.
He famously saluted the heavens after winning the 2002 Melbourne Cup onboard Media Puzzle, just days after his brother Jason had died.
That year, Oliver also rode the winner of the Sale Cup, when Panoramic Lad saluted for Pay Hyland.
The win made it back-to-back Sale Cups for Oliver, following Oval Office winning in 2001 for Colin Little.
Oliver made a number of appearances at Sale Turf Club, including at the inaugural Good Friday meeting last year.
The champion jockey always spoke highly of the Grennwattle Track, and is on record as labelling it the “best country track in Australia”.
His career at Sale reads: 226 rides, 48 wins, 39 seconds, 19 thirds, making for a 46 per cent place rate.
In a show of just how busy Group 1 jockeys are, Oliver would sometimes be helicoptered in to Sale Turf Club.
