Damian Oliver makes special appearance at WA’s biggest race day at Ascot

He wasn’t in action on the track, but legendary WA jockey Damien Oliver still made a special appearance at WA’s biggest race day at Ascot on Saturday.

Fans and punters lined up to pose for photos with the jockey rated Australia’s all-time greatest on Railway Stakes day.

Oliver wasn’t riding because of a recent suspension in Melbourne, but his farewell tour will ramp up when he rides at Ascot for the next three weeks, culminating in his final ever ride on December 16.

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Perth Racing renamed the feature race on that day the ‘Damien Oliver Gold Rush’ in his honour and the racing club announced on Friday one of Ascot’s stands will also be renamed the Damien Oliver Stand.

Punters were greeted by unexpected cooler conditions at Ascot after the initial hot forecast prompted racing officials to scrap the first race and reschedule all other races for later in the day.

Legendary horse trainer Gai Waterhouse also made a special appearance at Ascot.

Elevated to legend status in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame awards at Optus Stadium on Thursday night, Waterhouse stayed in Perth and presented the trophy to connections of the winner of race four, the Magic Millions Gai Waterhouse Crystal Slipper Stakes.