Silvera Olivera weaves his magic again on Rocky veteran in Mackay Newmarket.

Rockhampton Cup winning jockey Raul Silvera Olivera has won his second Northern Racing Carnival major in less than a week, taking out Friday’s $65,000 Mackay Newmarket Handicap (1300m) on rising 11-year-old sprinter, Real Key.

Trained in Rockhampton by Mark Cochrane, Real Key scored his 20th race victory at his 87th start, and the win was the best of his career. The Bon Hoffa gelding started at $12.00 and beat the Sunshine Coast-trained favourite Slippin’ Jimmy (Ryan Wiggins – $1.70) by just under half a length, with Secret Plan (Les Tilley – $3.30) from Mark Currie’s Toowoomba stable, less than half a length away in third place. Last Saturday’s Rockhampton Cup winning trainer, Ricky Vale, saddled fourth-placed Early Fusion, who was right on the placed horses’ heels in a blanket finish.

Uruguayan jockey Silvera-Olivera hasn’t rested on his laurels since winning the Rocky Cup, continuing his “have saddle, will travel” attitude. The jockey being touted as the new “Magic Man” has travelled over 2400 km already this week, and he is still on the road.

On Monday he trekked to Barcaldine, where his best result was a third place from five rides, he then drove to Brisbane airport to pick up the father of his fiancée Antonella, who arrived this week from South America for a holiday. He got off the road to ride trackwork at Callaghan Park on Thursday morning, and tomorrow he is back behind the wheel of his 4WD. He rides in four races at the Bluff Cup meeting.

Silvera Olivera scored a career highlight, winning the TAB Rockhampton Cup on Vale’s $19.00 longshot Logan Street Lion, and the Mackay Newmarket on Real Key is the icing on the cake, in what has been a great week. The jockey said he doesn’t race like an old horse. “He doesn’t know how old he is; he just likes to run.”
Real Key, now ten, turns eleven in less than three weeks.
“I have had three rides on this horse for three wins,” Silvera Olivera said. “I like riding him and he likes me.”

Cochrane, who only has a handful of horses in work, has had success with the veteran galloper who was a $800 buy online at an Inglis Sale just over two years ago. He has travelled the countryside with his bargain horse, winning 10 races, including his latest success.

In May, Cochrane and Real Key teamed with Silvera Olivera to win the Ted Harvey Memorial Battle Of The Bush Emerald Qualifier, and the winning trio team up again to win an Open Handicap at Thangool in record time in June. Sandwiched between Real Key’s Thangool triumph and his Mackay Newmarket victory was a game fifth in the Battle Of The Bush Final (1200m), beaten under two lengths, at Brisbane’s Eagle Farm.

• David Aldred CEO