Damien Oliver Net Worth

Damien Oliver, born in 1972, recently announced his retirement from thoroughbred horse racing after an illustrious career spanning over 30 years.

With 3189 total race wins and a record 129 Group One victories which is the most by any Australian jockey – he cemented himself as a legend of the sport. His success led to his induction into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame in 2008 as one of the all-time greats. 

However, his career was not without controversy. As he hangs up his saddle for good after the 2023 Spring Carnival, Oliver has amassed considerable wealth from prize money and endorsements. 

This article analyzes Oliver’s net worth and the events that shaped his long, storied career on the racetrack.

Damien Oliver’s net worth and racing career

Damien Oliver has amassed quite a fortune over 30 years of dominating Australian horse racing. His net worth is an impressive $5 million, mainly built through extensive prize money from his 3,189 race wins.

This includes a staggering, record-breaking 129 victories in the highly lucrative Group One competitions. On top of mammoth prize checks, his success and illustrious career boosted his brand power significantly and earned him substantial money from endorsements. 

Oliver’s path to wealth started in 1988 when he began his apprenticeship under stepfather Lindsey Rudland and renowned trainer Lee Freedman.

Damien Oliver announcing his retirement (Source: The Sydney Morning Herald)

He wasted no time finding the winner’s circle, notching his maiden win that same year aboard Mr. Gudbud at just 16 years old. 

By 1992, a young Oliver was already winning features like the Caulfield Cup. Over the next 30+ years, he would completely dominate Australian racing.

His trophy case glitters with three Melbourne Cups, four Caulfield Cups, two Cox Plates, and even the prestigious, career-capping Golden Slipper. 

With his retirement now official after the 2023 Spring Carnival, Oliver concludes a career coated in glory. His $5 million net worth is a receipt for his brilliance as one of Australia’s greatest-ever jockeys.

Damien Oliver was once suspended for ten months for illegal betting

In one of the darker moments of his illustrious career, Oliver was slapped with a 10-month ban from horse racing in 2012 for placing an illegal $10,000 wager. The bet was on a rival horse named Miss Octopussy against a horse Oliver was riding called Europa Point. 

In a clear conflict of interest, he put money against his mount in the same race at Moonee Valley in 2010. Europa Point would finish 6th that day while Miss Octopussy failed to place.  

Though stewards cleared Oliver of any wrongdoing in the race, the multi-time champion jockey was found to have profited $11,000 from his clandestine bet. He was promptly dropped from coveted rides like the 2012 Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup. 

Damien Oliver during a race (Source: Racenet)

Fans and pundits debated whether the eventual 8-month suspension for illegal betting plus another two months for a phone violation was adequate punishment. Had the offense occurred just a year later, in 2013, under amended rules, he would have faced a 2-year ban instead.

Nonetheless, Oliver returned in September 2013 after ten months away, hungry to rebuild his brand. He immediately found success and capped off his redemption campaign with an emotional 3rd Melbourne Cup victory that November aboard Fiorente.

Over a decade removed, the all-time great jockey leaves behind a shining legacy befitting one of Australia’s most decorated riders.

Damien Oliver lost his father and brother to racing tragedies

Incredible highs have marked Oliver’s accomplished career, but so have profound personal tragedies. 

When Oliver was just three years old in 1975, his father Ray – himself a talented jockey – was killed in a fall during the Boulder Cup race in Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. It was a shocking loss for the family. 

Then, in 2002, Oliver suffered more heartbreak when his brother Jason, an ascendant young rider in Perth, died after a freak accident in a barrier trial fall. Like their father, Jason was in his early 30s. 

The twin tragedies that befell the Oliver family are sadly not uncommon for the dangerous sport of horse racing.

Damien Oliver with his brother Jason Oliver (Source: Punters)

However, Damien persevered despite unimaginable grief, chasing the dream that fatefully eluded his father and brother. 

Oliver won the 2002 Melbourne Cup just days after burying Jason in a stunning testament to his courage and skill. His emotional victory tribute to his late brother remains etched in Aussie sporting lore.  

Remarkably, he also survived his horrific fall in 2005 – breaking his back at a similar age to when his brother and father were killed. But not even staring down his mortality could deter Oliver. 

He again defiantly returned to the saddle to cement his legacy as perhaps Australia’s greatest-ever jockey. For the Olivers, racing glory and personal anguish have been painfully intertwined. But Damien endured it all to author one of his sport’s most inspiring stories.

Damien Oliver retired with the perfect win in his last match

Oliver could not have scripted a more storybook finish to his legendary career. In his grand farewell at Ascot Racecourse for the Perth Summer Carnival, the man “The Goat” stole the show by winning the final three races on the card.

His win included an emotional triumph in the $1.5 million Damien Oliver Gold Rush – a race specifically renamed to honor his last ride.

After over 30 years of domination, Oliver bid farewell to the sport in the only way befitting such greatness by posing for one last winner’s photo. 

The raucous Ascot crowd gave Oliver a deafening farewell reception as he guided Munhamek from near last place to capture the Gold Rush in the dying strides. His daring, sweeping ride hearkened memories of his genius in big races for over three decades. 

Before his storybook sendoff, Oliver had won aboard Devine Belief and Magnificent Andy earlier in the day. He brilliantly bookended the carnival for locals by taking out the last three contests. 

The only thing better than winning his commemorative namesake race was delivering back-to-back-to-back victories to punctuate his career. It was a legendary final chapter fit for a jockey who had written many of his own over the years.

In retrospect, Oliver’s fairytale farewell felt almost destined. The GOAT exited the sport the only way expected – with another winner’s circle and well-deserved fanfare from an adoring public.