Images courtesy of Richard Oliver
Oliver has stacks of international experience and while he’s only recently turned 28, he has successfully ridden in a host of European and Asian countries and comes to this part of the world off a stint in Korea.
He recently arrived with his family in Cambridge and admits he hasn’t been the easiest person to live with as he awaits licensing from New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing.
“I’m very excited and to be honest I’ve been a pain in the bum to my wife Clementine pacing around the house,” said Oliver, who can comfortably ride at 52kg.
Richard Oliver (white cap)
“We’ve got a baby daughter Constance, who’s two, and I’ve been looking for more of a permanent base.
“I’ve been riding on contracts all over the place such as Mauritius, Bahrain and in Korea. They have been short-term contracts and it’s not ideal with a young family.
“The family has been staying in the UK while I’ve been away working and just seeing them for a few weeks at a time when I can grab it.
“The family has been staying in the UK while I’ve been away working and just seeing them for a few weeks at a time when I can grab it. " - Richard Oliver
“I was looking for more of a permanent base to ride from and looking toward the Southern Hemisphere. I put out a few feelers to see what was available and I saw (trainer) Roger James was advertising.
“I contacted him and said I’d like to work with you. I’ve been in the process of organising a visa and that happened, so here we are.”
Richard Oliver
Born and raised in Yorkshire, Oliver isn’t from a racing family and had to work hard to convince them of his choice of career.
“My parents hated the idea of me working with horses, I had to fight them every step of the way to do it,” he said.
“My parents hated the idea of me working with horses, I had to fight them every step of the way to do it.” – Richard Oliver
“We lived on a farm in Yorkshire and I started off riding other people’s ponies in exchange for mucking out boxes.
“Being small in stature and there were a lot of racing yards around where I was from so it was just a natural progression into that side of it.”
Oliver progressed to riding trackwork and then caught the travel bug, which saw him land in the United States.
“I started my apprenticeship formally in Kentucky. Over there, it works on a freelance basis and you serve your time and ride a set amount of winners over two years and I completed that,” he said.
“After that I moved away and started chasing work contracts. I’ve ridden about 170 winners now.
“I’ve ridden in France and the UK for a little while. I won a couple of races in Germany, Belgium and Switzerland, just when I was based in France, and did a season working for the royal stable in Bahrain as second jockey to them.
“You take a little bit of something from everywhere you go. You learn things and what to do and, obviously what not to do, from every place you go. It all helps to become more of a rounded rider and able to adapt to different conditions.”
New Zealand appealing
While Oliver has only been in New Zealand for a little more than a week, he already likes what he’s seen of the thoroughbred industry.
Richard Oliver (black cap) drives to victory
“I’ve been to the track a few mornings to introduce myself and went to Waikato Cup day at Te Rapa for a look,” he said.
“Everybody is really, really friendly and welcoming and it’s quite a relaxed atmosphere. It’s very similar to other places that I’ve been.
“Hopefully, the trackwork licence will come through shortly and the racing licence. I can’t wait and there’s a lot of decent meetings coming up that I’m hoping to be able to ride at.”
