Damien Oliver opens Warrnambool May racing carnival account aboard Bermadez

Oliver had two rides on Tuesday, fading to last in race five before saluting in the $75,000 Handicap over 1700m aboard the Michael Moroney-trained Bermadez.

In third as the field flew around the final bend, Oliver and Bermadez ran away by 2.75 lengths win ahead of runner-up, the Ciaron Maher and David Eustace-trained Heart of Puissance.

It was Bermadez's sixth win from 13 starts, with Oliver the winning hoop in five of them. Oliver said the five-year-old was "putting it all together now" after earlier debate as to his preferred distance. His wins have come from varying distances between 1200m and 1700m.

"Mike's done a good job with him, we were a bit confused earlier whether he was a sprinter or a stayer," the 49-year-old hoop said. "But he might just fall into that sprinter-mile category. The way he settled today, he might be capable of getting a bit further."

Oliver was the leading jockey at last year's carnival with four wins. He will have the chance to add to Tuesday's win, with seven rides booked for Wednesday and five for Thursday. "It's great to get back here," he said.

Oliver is a carnival regular and often comes to the south-west with his family and surfs. He has collected the Warrnambool Cup and Wangoom Handicap, winning the 2001 cup on Samosiera while Order Of Command was his Wangoom winner in 2020.

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