Other Victoria Derby champions of the past? Almost too many to mention. Several stand proudly in the Australian Racing Hall of Fame. Next to Phar Lap, the mighty Tulloch rates highest. Then there’s Tobin Bronze, Sailors’ Guide, Dulcify, Mahogany … the list goes on. Last year’s winner Hitotsu joined a select company who could also claim an Australian Derby and a VRC Australian Guineas to their name. It is also a day to honour champion jockeys and trainers. Bart Cummings trained five Victoria Derby winners, and his father Jim, his son Anthony and grandson James one each. That’s eight for the family. But the training record belongs to James Scobie who prepared eight Victoria Derby winners himself, stretching from Maltster in 1900 to Hua in 1937. Jockey Bobbie Lewis was associated with six of Scobie’s wins, and won twice more, eight in total. Damien Oliver, within striking distance of Lewis’s record, has won the Victoria Derby six times, and the VRC Oaks seven times. Among the race’s most honoured names is Clare Lindop, the first woman to ride a winner of the Derby, on outsider Rebel Raider in 2008. For everyone at Flemington, Penfolds Victoria Derby Day brings anticipation and quality, elegance and style all of its own. It is Group- level racing, all day. It is the Melbourne Cup Carnival opening day. A day for champions.
Clare Lindop became the first woman to ride a Victoria Derby winner in 2008 on South Australian outsider, Rebel Raider. (Slattery)
28
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software