After running away with yesterday's $1 million Auckland Cup aboard Sydney-trained visitor Zavite, the locals might be hoping it's another nine years before he's back.
Oliver rode Zavite with the belief he was the best stayer in the field. He settled the Zabeel gelding in the second half of the field in what was a strongly-run race before surging to the front on the home turn, ensuring his stamina would fully come into play.
By the 250m mark only Booming looked any threat, but he couldn't make any headway and Zavite raced away to a 3-1/4 length victory.
"I settled back further than I expected but I wasn't worried because the speed was on," Oliver said.
"I was hoping to follow some of the good chances into the race but they didn't go on with it and I went earlier than I expected, but he was travelling well and he just kept it up from there."
Oliver has won most of Australia's best races and he has a good record from a handful of top rides in New Zealand.
He won the 1995 Wellington Cup on Ed, the 1998 New Zealand Derby on So Casual and the 2001 Oaks Classic (now the Zabeel Classic) on Zonda at his last visit to Ellerslie.
Zavite's victory was the third major win for Australian-trained horses at Ellerslie this year following A Gold Trail's triumph in the group one Railway Handicap (1200m) and that of Sister Havana in the $1 million Karaka Million (1200m) for New Zealand Bloodstock sales graduates.
Sister Havana will attempt to add to that haul when she contests the group one $200,000 Diamond Stakes (1200m) for two-year-olds on Saturday.
The victories will give New Zealand horse people and racing fans an understanding of what Australians felt in the 1950s to 1990s as New Zealand horses regularly won major races in Australia, and Zavite's trainer Anthony Cummings thinks the Australian presence is great for the profile of New Zealand racing.
"New Zealand has been on the world stage from a breeding perspective for a long time, and now with the increased prize money it's on the world stage from a racing perspective," Cummings said.
"It's great for New Zealand racing to have international horses come here."
Zavite, who also won last year's 3200m Adelaide Cup, is the first major 3200m winner for Cummings, whose legendary father Bart Cummings has won 12 Melbourne Cups.
Zavite's breeder, Gerald Fell of Manawatu's Fairdale Stud, said the horse was "a mongrel" as a yearling and he was thankful he ended up with Cummings.
"He was small and light and we were so embarrassed we would hardly take him out of his box to show anybody," Fell said.
"I told Anthony Cummings about his shortcomings and he said he wanted to buy a stayer and he would give him time.
"A lot of credit goes to Anthony. If he hadn't been given that time he may not have achieved what he has."
Cummings eventually bought Zavite for $A80,000, which is now looking a bargain after he took his earnings past $NZ1.9 million with today's victory.
Cummings said he would consider the $A400,000 Sydney Cup (3200m) on April 24 for Zavite but he needed a firm track and that event was often at risk of being run on rain-affected ground.
If he gets there he could again face Booming, who was the only horse that looked like troubling Zavite today before being outstayed.
"He's in the Sydney Cup and we will be looking at it, though we'll have to see how he comes through this race first," Booming's trainer Jeff Lynds said.
Tin Goose took advantage of a cosy rails run to take third at huge odds, ahead of last year's winner Spin Around and Minqar Qaim.
The disappointment of the race was second favourite Heza Karma Kazi, who was clearly not himself as he faded to a long last, 90 lengths behind Zavite.
