1 Welcome to Flemington for Penfolds Victoria Derby Day. And welcome to a magical week of racing. The enchantment of Penfolds Victoria Derby Day takes many forms. The curtain rises on the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival. The fashion is elegant. The turf is green, the roses are blooming, the horses are ready to show their best. Derby Day offers a brilliant program, with every race at the prestigious Group level. At Group 3, we have the Carbine Club Stakes for three-year-olds—a race that in the past has unearthed such champions as Emancipation and Saintly. The Rising Fast Stakes commemorates the only racehorse to have ever won the Caulfield Cup, Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup treble. The Furphy Sprint is for our sharpest speedsters. And the Lexus Archer Stakes is keenly anticipated as a last chance for stayers to win a place in next Tuesday’s Lexus Melbourne Cup. The Group 2 Wakeful Stakes honours one of the greatest mares in Australian racing history. It is an acknowledged steppingstone for the best staying fillies towards next Thursday’s Kennedy Oaks. Our Group 1 events feature the Coolmore Stud Stakes up the famous 1200 metre Straight Six course, the TAB Empire Rose Stakes for mares, and of course the Penfolds Victoria Derby itself. Today’s racing also features ‘The Damien Oliver’. The Victoria Racing Club salutes one of our all-time champion Flemington jockeys. After winning more than 2800 races in Australia and 129 at Group 1 level including three Melbourne Cups—Damien foreshadows his retirement from riding at the close of this calendar year. This will be his final spring at Flemington. Penfolds Victoria Derby Day is special for Damien. He starts today with an astonishing seven victories to his name in this classic, just one short of Bobbie Lewis’ all-time record. CHAIRMAN’S WELCOME Neil Wilson Chairman
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