ADMITTING to drug taking, "Hopoate-ing" opposition horses, and celebrating with "a lettuce leaf and a glass of water" is really what Melbourne Cup winning jockeys get up to. Well, that's according to 2013 winning jockey Damien Oliver anyway.
I was driving back from training in Auckland on Thursday and Oliver was being quizzed on Radio Sport in what I would call one of the funniest - and controversial - interviews I have ever heard.
The pint-sized rider said he takes drug to stay calm when surrounded by horses mid-race. "Oh, mate, I do I do [get freaked by being surrounded by horses], and what I do is take a lot of drugs," the three-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey told the Sport Lately show in his squeaky voice.
"I can say that on New Zealand radio because no one is really listening right? You know just to calm things down, mate, you know ... I'm into that meditation sort of thing, plus the drugs," Oliver continued, before finishing his rant with: "I just won the Melbourne Cup. What'd you do this week?"
Now I find driving at night calming and enjoyable, but this interview had me in hysterics.
Going into the interview I knew bugger all about the Australian jockey, except that he was not the most liked of people.
But following his ranting interview I am a fan.
Even though Oliver probably had not stopped celebrating since Tuesday's Melbourne Cup, and he probably should not have agreed to do an interview if he had a fair few under his belt, I think he was an absolute character.
Oliver went on, completely unprovoked by the radio host, to say sometimes a rider could "Hopoate" opposition horses.
"If you can reach around, it's very hard to do at those sorts of speeds, but if you can just jam ya finger up the other horse ... they don't like that, mate. Hopoate on horseback, you don't see much of it. The cameras don't really focus on that one." Most people will know this is as far-fetched as you could get, but you have got to admit it is rather amusing, considering the man has just won the biggest race in Australian racing's calendar.
When asked about how he keeps his weight down - a standard question for a jockey, I thought - the comedic Oliver responded: "I dump a good load ... to be honest with ya, mate, pretty regular. I celebrated with a lettuce leaf and a glass of water, that's how I keep lean, that and nervous energy."
And, ever wondered how horses celebrate winning the Melbourne Cup?
Oliver says they don't. Apparently they don't know much.
"It's a horse, it doesn't know it just did. There's people and cheering so they probably know something is going on. They're not hanging out in the stables saying, 'Hey I won the Melbourne Cup'."
Since the interview I have researched Oliver and found out more about the man, concluding that - rambling interview aside - he is one of my favourite characters in Australian sport.