Exciting Nicconi gelding Oliveanotherday faced testing conditions at Warrnambool on Thursday with driving rain and a heavy 9 track not enough to stop him becoming the first three year-old since 1989 to win the $200,000 Listed Colin McKenna Wangoom Handicap (1200m).
Best known as the sire of Champion Sprinter Nature Strip, Nicconi is one of those evergreen sires that always has a handy horse out running for him and Oliveanotherday has emerged as that horse to follow in 2026.
Trained by Tom Dabernig, Oliveanotherday had won his three previous starts this year in February, March and April and kept the winning roll going in his first attempt at Black Type with Harry Coffey in the saddle.
Oliveanotherday swept to the lead with a furlong to run and made light of the heavy ground to win by two and a half lengths and has well and truly ticked the box of being able to handle the wet.
Coffey was full of praise for Oliveanotherday and believes there is a lot more to come from the talented sprinter.
"As soon as you slip (him a bit of) rein there's instant power," Coffey said.
"He can find, release, quickly and it's a sharp burst and then he can sustain it.
"Late he was clocking off, on the testing ground, (but) he pretty much galloped solo up the straight in conditions that are horrific against tough older horses."
Oliveanotherday s trained at Warrnambool and Tom Dabernig was thrilled to win a big feature on his home track.
"We've actually known from early days he had a stack of ability," Dabernig said.
"He just keeps improving.
"I've been lucky enough to train a lot of decent horses and have some big race wins here, but I must admit (going in) I was feeling the pressure … a three-year-old in the race.
"But that's what good horses do, they're just better than the opposition and hopefully we can keep him progressing.
"I'd say there's another couple of decent wins in him for sure."
A homebred for co-owner Andrew Harrison, Oliveforanotherday has won five of seven starts earning over $286,000 in prizemoney.
He is the first foal of Olive, a placed half-sister by All Too Hard to Group III Stirling Grove from stakes-winner Kalamata.
He has a pedigree that will interest the pedigree gurus out there with both his sire Nicconi and dam Olive featuring lines of Danzig, Scenic and Bletchingly.
Olive was one of 51 mares covered by Nicconi last spring, so her owners will be hoping the same genetic magic cans trike twice.
Oliveanotherday is the 31st stakes-winner for Nicconi, who is one of the best value sires in Victoria standing at Widden at a fee of $13,200.
