KEY POINTS:
The Derby is the blue riband of classic racing all around the world. The Victoria Derby is six years older than the Melbourne Cup and the headline act on a day when tradition is observed with precision.
Morning suits and top hats are the order of the day for men, black and white for ladies and bluebloods on the track.
The word Derby conjures up images of the aristocracy and that is exactly how it began at Epsom in England.
The word Bunbury doesn't have quite the same ring and it was only a toss of the coin that stopped the race being called just that.
In 1779 the 12th Earl of Derby and Sir Charles Bunbury flipped to determine whose name the race would carry and the Earl won.
The Derby is a race for three-year-olds and until recent times was open only to colts and fillies - no geldings allowed.
That has changed but it is still a serious day, and none is more serious than today's extravaganza at Flemington where all nine races are afforded group status, five at the highest level including of course the group one Victoria Derby.
Victoria Derby (2500M)
The Victoria Derby has been won by some of the true greats including the immortal Phar Lap in 1929 and Tulloch in 1957.
In recent years some of the country's best horses have faltered in the classic, sparking questions as to whether it is too long and too soon. Those concerns have been raised again this year with some trainers calling for the race to be shortened to 2000m.
Most Derbys are run over 2400m but the configuration of the Flemington track means there is an extra 100m. With most horses born between September and November, many who contest the Derby are in reality still two-year-olds.
Graeme Rogerson has finished second for the past two years with Duelled and Savabeel but has a huge chance with Efficient this time around.
Owned by Lloyd Williams, Efficient is the short-priced favourite to win the race, with punters shunning the other runners.
Mackinnon Stakes (2000M)
Used by many trainers with great success as the final hitout before the Melbourne Cup three days later, the weight-for-age Mackinnon has come into its own as more than just a lead-up race.
Weight-for-age racing over a mile and a quarter (2000m) is considered the international measuring stick.
It boasts an honour roll that of course includes Phar Lap and such other luminaries as Carbine, Wakeful, Tulloch and Dulcify.
It takes an exceptional stayer to win the race against a team of specialist middle-distance performers and the last horse to complete the Mackinnon-Melbourne Cup double was Rogan Josh in 1999.
Salinger Stakes (1200M)
Sprint racing at Flemington is like nowhere else in Australia.
Running down the straight course is a test for many as they fight to get to the rail, either one. As a measure of just how hard it is, Australia's best sprinter of recent times, the mighty Manikato, could manage only second to Always Welcome in 1978.
In 1997, Newcastle trainer Paul Perry brought Notoire south and he and young jockey Lenny Beasley got plenty of advice as to tactics.
They listened and then decided to do their own thing with Notoire and Rock You on the side of the track that everyone said was "off" and the rest of the field stayed on the other.
Perry and Beasley pulled it off, with Notoire beating Rock You.
It is especially hard for commentators and the public to be sure who is in front when the field splits.
Perry is back this year hoping to pull off another upset with Biscayne Bay. The favourite is Miss Andretti.
Myer Classic (1600M)
For many years, Australia had just one group one race purely for fillies and mares but the Myer Classic was one of several races upgraded in 2004 to rectify that situation.
Champion filly Alinghi was the raging favourite to win that year but was foiled by tough New Zealand mare Miss Potential who defied all attempts to run her down.
There are no three-year-olds this time around but there is another New Zealand mare with the credentials to upset the locals in Seachange.
Ascot Vale Stakes
Like the Salinger the Ascot Vale is run down the straight six course. The race has been upgraded to group one for the first time with the best sprinting three-year-olds on display.
- AAP
