A third-generation Benalla trainer will attempt to enter four horses on the town's biggest race day.
For Olivia Osborne, the horses she trains are like family; they mean the world to her.
"We breed all our horses except for buying a couple over the years, so it's pretty exciting to remember them as babies than breaking them in before their first race and first win,“ she said.
"It's such a special feeling; they end up just being a part of the family.“
Taught everything she knows by her father, Russell, her exposure to horses came at a young age.
"My sister and I were lucky enough to get involved. As soon as we were old enough, we got to name the horses,“ she said.
This tradition of her naming her own horses has continued into her working life, with a particular quirk: many of them are named after animals.
Three of the four horses she hopes to get accepted into the Friday, September 27 races are named after animals, evidence of this trait.
"Now I'm known all around the industry for training the horses with the animal names,“ she said.
Keen to stand on her own two feet, two feet, she got a breakthrough first win as a trainer with Zooming Zebra in her hometown in the 1200m Noorilim Park Thoroughbreds on February 27, 2023.
Before making this decision, she had worked with legendary trainers like Chris Waller and Lindsay Park’s Hayes’.
In the 20 months since the race, Osborne's star has begun to shine brighter and brighter, with her horses now having won races in Benalla, Wodonga, and Albury.
The 24-year-old, who rides track work and trains current stock, is rich in lineage. Exciting stallions such as Black Caviar's first son, "Prince of Caviar," Winx's brother, "Boulder City," and Dalasan and Redente have previously been or currently are under her tutelage.
Below are the four horses Osborne hopes to enter on Gold Cup Day and some information about them in her own words.
Cheeky Crab:
She's a five-year-old mare who has had six starts for two placings.
She has not run well in the last couple of starts, so she will be hoping for some rain, as she prefers a heavy track.
She has a quiet personality and is effortless to do anything with.
Dashing Donkey:
She is a five-year-old Gelding coming into cup day in his best form, with a second and two-fourths in his last three starts.
He is the opposite of his stable mates as he would prefer the track to stay dry.
He has taken a little longer to mature and a little longer to get a competitive nature, but the penny has dropped, and he has a good chance of running a solid race.
Kingwell:
He is a five-year Stallion lightly raced with six starts and one win.
He has had two runs under me, and I think third up, his fitness will be peaking. I'm confident he can be in the mix.
Dancing Duck:
She is an eight-year-old Mare who is a workaholic and does not enjoy having a day off; she prefers to be kept busy.
She won on Tuesday at Wodonga over 2000m, so she is currently racing well.
We will all be hoping for rain, as she was not called "the duck" for no reason.
The duck loves to swim, so the wetter the track, the better she races.