Sister Madly has held off a tough field to win the Salinger Stakes

Champion jockey Damien Oliver made it a hat-trick of wins on Australia’s greatest day of racing when Sister Madly won the Group 2 $300,000 Salinger Stakes (1200m) at Flemington in a desperate finish.

Oliver equaled the best ever Derby day performance by a jockey joining Glen Boss who won three races  in 2004.

Oliver won two Group 1 races aboard Glass Harmonium in the Mackinnon Stakes and Hurtle Myrtle in the Myer Classic  prior to Sister Madly leading throughout down the Flemington straight.

On the ninth anniversary of the tragic death of his brother Jason, it was an emotional day for Oliver who in recent years has had poor results during the Flemington Spring Racing Carnival.

“I was thinking about Jason this morning and he is obviously still riding with us every bit of the way, so it’s a special day for me,” Oliver said.

“It’s been a really emotional day for me.”

While Oliver did the job in the saddle, it may have been a bit of training advice that got the John Sadler-trained five-year-old mare over the line.

Sister Madly’s habit of pulling too hard in races and in a recent jump out impressed on Oliver that she needed a change of gear.

Sadler employed the kyneton nose band which if it helped by just an inch, gave the experienced trainer Flemington Spring Racing Carnival glory.

Oliver sent Sister Madly to the lead down the middle of the straight course and others packed to either side and behind.

Sister Madly still on the bit was held together by the experience hoop until the final 200m.

The daughter of Redoute’s Choice was challenged on either side predominantly by the Peter Snowden trained Rarefied who was having just its second start in six months.

As that horse edge closer to Sister Madly, the Queenslander Temple Of Boom emerged out of the pack to tackle Sister Madly on its outside.

The bonny mare held on to beat Rarified by a nose with Temple Of Boom a nose away third.

“I have had a great day,” Oliver said.

“We got our head together and worked together and come up with a new bit.

“She is very brave, we were running on empty in the last 100m but she gave everything.”

Sadler had worried about his mare.

“She has been terrific for our stable,” he said.

“I was worried all week that she had trained off.

“She is not known for having many starts in the one campaign, she’s had three, she pulled hard at the last two.

“She showed signs she had enough this week and was quite picky and not herself.

“She pulled terribly hard in a jump out on Tuesday.

“I thought she went well but Damien came back and said we will have to try something new.

”I was reluctant to change anything but after having a think about it I changed the bit.”