Trainer Olivia Cairns aims to improve city strike rate

By Glenn Davis

Trainer Olivia Cairns is striking at 12 per cent since moving from North Queensland to Beaudesert a year ago but it’s her city performances she hopes to boost.

Cairns will head to Doomben on Wednesday with two starters and will be aiming for her first metropolitan win since Fire King claimed the Country Cups Challenge Final at Doomben last month.

Diaco – a Ben Thompson mount – is aiming for his third win for Cairns since joining her stable from Chris Waller in Sydney when he steps out in the Benchmark 68 Handicap over 1650 metres.

Stable mate Googaz will complete a hat-trick of wins if successful in the Benchmark 65 Handicap over 2050 metres.

Diaco was third-up from a long spell last start when the four-year-old was a dominant two length winner in a Benchmark 65 race at the Sunshine Coast on January 5.

“I’m happy the way the stable is going since we moved down from Mackay about 12 months ago,” Cairns said.

“Kyle Wilson-Taylor rode Diaco at Eagle Farm two starts back and said he’d win next start but he was then suspended, that’s why Ben Thompson was on him when he won at the Sunshine Coast last time.

“He was a $1.5 million yearling at the Magic Millions sales when Chris Waller trained him but we bought at an Inglis sale for around $35,000.

“I don’t know why he was sacked as I haven’t had any problems with him and he’s sound as a bell. We raced him as soon as we got him but you could tell the horse needed a spell.

“He can be a bit of a clown but since I spelled him he’s come back well and maybe he enjoys the country life better than in the city.”

Cairns said while she was still building her stocks and aiming for better quality, she was confident both would run well.

“I don’t have much ammunition for the city at the moment and we’re going there with the stock that we’ve got,” Cairns said.

“Diaco is probably one of my better ones we have with the calibre of winning in town.”

Cairns expects Diaco will be highly competitive and is also looking for a strong showing from Googaz.

Googaz races in the same ownership as Fire King.

Googaz also was successful third-up from a break last start on a Heavy 10 in a Benchmark race at the Sunshine Coast on January 7 after winning a Class 2 at Beaudesert on December 30.

The four-year-old son of Husson was bred by Mal and Melanie Bates, who also share in the ownership of Fire King and Ammoudi Bay, who gave Cairns her second Battle Of The Bush winner in 2022.

“I had him in Mackay but he was always a slow maturer both mentally and physically and he’s only now starting to put it together,” Cairns said.

“He’s a genuine stayer.”