Troy Corstens, in compiling this piece, wanted it made clear they include positions that are his personal views only. While he is the Australian Trainers’ Association president, these views do not represent the position or policy of the ATA
By Troy Corstens
Sometimes the best way to preserve a great race is to evolve it.
I want to say at the outset that I have enormous respect for Robbie Waterhouse, his opinion and what he has contributed to Australian racing.
He has put forward a strong and thoughtful case for keeping the Victoria Derby at 2500 metres. That is exactly why this debate is worth having. There is little value in everyone holding the same view.
Robbie’s view, which was posted on Gai Waterhouse’s X account:
A few thoughts on moves to shorten the Victoria Derby
The Derby at Epsom has existed since 1780. The Victoria Derby has been part of Australian racing since 1855 and, from its second running, was established over the classic mile and a half, or half a furlong more.
For nearly 170…— Gai Waterhouse AO (@GaiWaterhouse1) September 2, 2026
On this one, I simply disagree with him.
I also have enormous respect for the history of the Victoria Derby. I have been fortunate enough to win one and to have been closely involved with another, so I know firsthand just how special the race is.
But respecting history does not mean refusing to evolve.
The Victoria Derby is one of our great races. I want it to remain one of our great races for another 170 years. That is why I believe we need to seriously consider bringing it back to 2000 metres.
And there is a deadline on this that not enough people are talking about.
The question is relevance
Is the Derby consistently attracting the best three-year-olds in Australia? Is it producing performances worthy of one of our premier Group 1 races? And does it reflect the Australian thoroughbred industry we actually have today?
That last question is critical.
Australia is one of the great speed breeding jurisdictions in the world. Our commercial market places enormous value on speed, precocity and horses that can race early.
We see it every time we go to a yearling sale. Owners want horses that can race at two and three. Syndicators want horses they can sell. Breeders want stallions with speed. Studs want commercially appealing pedigrees.
And we all know how bloody hard it is to find owners for a nice staying yearling.
You can buy a beautifully conformed colt or filly bred to run 2400 metres at three or four and still struggle to fill it.
Why? Because patience has become a commercial luxury.
Tell an owner their horse may need several preparations before we see the best of it and plenty of them will run a mile.
That does not mean there is no place for stayers. There absolutely is. But we cannot pretend the Australian breeding and ownership market of 2026 is built around producing large numbers of traditional stayers.
It simply isn’t.
The Helenus example
This is not theory for me. We had Helenus. He won the Caulfield Guineas and the offers that came afterwards were substantial.
His owner wanted to press on to the Derby and we were fortunate enough to win it. It was a wonderful day and I would not trade it for anything.
But his stud value fell away because of that win.
The Caulfield Guineas told the market he was a fast, classy colt. The Derby, at 2500 metres, told the market he was a stayer.
In Australia, the second message is worth considerably less than the first.
Think about that.
We have a Group 1 on Derby Day that can actually reduce the commercial value of the very colts we most want contesting it.
That is not a stamina problem. It is a structural one.
And it is why I do not believe simply increasing prizemoney solves the problem. Connections are not only considering the cheque on Derby Day. They are considering what their colt may be worth afterwards.
Why 2000 metres?
Rather than fighting the market, we should be asking how we make the Victoria Derby relevant to the best horses our breeding industry is producing.
That means attracting elite middle-distance three-year-olds as well as genuine stayers.
It also means acknowledging that 2500 metres in early November is a significant ask of an immature three-year-old. Some handle it exceptionally well.
But do we want one of our premier three-year-old races defined primarily by stamina at that stage of their development, or by class?
I would much rather see the best three-year-olds in Australia meeting at Flemington over 2000 metres than see some of them ruled out because their connections believe 2500 metres is simply not appropriate for them yet.
At 2000 metres, a Derby victory says elite middle-distance class. That is a message our commercial market rewards rather than punishes.
The owner of the next Helenus would have far less reason to think twice.
Imagine a genuine national three-year-old championship
Changing the Derby could also create something much bigger.
| SPRING | AUTUMN |
|---|---|
| Golden Rose – 1400m – Sydney | Australian Guineas – 1600m – Melbourne |
| Caulfield Guineas – 1600m – Melbourne | Rosehill Guineas – 2000m – Sydney |
| Victoria Derby – 2000m – Melbourne | Australian Derby – 2400m – Sydney |
Six great races. Two states. One national three-year-old championship.
Now we have a series people can genuinely follow.
It takes a generation from speed, through the mile and middle distances, before finishing with the traditional staying test over 2400 metres in the autumn.
By then, those horses are six months older and have another preparation behind them. Not every horse will contest every race. They do not need to.
Award points through the series. Offer bonuses for multiple victories and competing across both states. Then put a significant monetary prize behind the overall Australian three-year-old champion.
Suddenly we have continuity. We have rivalries. We have a national storyline.
Owners have an incentive to keep good horses racing. Trainers have a clear programme. Punters, fans and broadcasters have a championship they can follow from September through to April.
Six great races. Two states. One national three-year-old championship.
What about the Spring Champion Stakes?
This is the obvious question.
Sydney already has a 2000-metre three-year-old race a week before Derby Day for comparable prizemoney. Some will argue that a 2000-metre Victoria Derby simply duplicates it.
My answer is that the entire programme needs to be considered as one.
If creating a genuine national championship means the Spring Champion Stakes takes on a different role, or moves to another point in the calendar, then the powers that be should sit down and work through it together.
It will require cooperation between Victoria and NSW. That should not be beyond us. It is certainly not a reason to do nothing.
Are we just exporting the staying problem to Sydney?
No. Timing is the whole point.
A 2400-metre test in April, when a horse is six months older and has another preparation under its belt, is completely different from asking it to run 2500 metres in the first week of November.
The staying test remains. It simply sits at a point in the horse’s development where the best three-year-olds are better equipped to do it justice.
And now there is some urgency
Look at what has just happened to the Metropolitan.
A race first run in the 1860s. A Group 1.
In July, the Asian Pattern Committee offered to retain its status if Racing NSW made material changes to the race conditions. Racing NSW decided not to proceed.
In late August, after failing the required international ratings parameter for three consecutive seasons, the Metropolitan was downgraded to Group 2.
That is how it happens. A great historic race slowly stops measuring up. Changes are suggested. Nothing happens.
Then the downgrade comes.
The Victoria Derby is on notice
The Victoria Derby has retained its Group 1 status for 2026/27, but it remains subject to review in the years ahead.
We have been given time. We have not been given a reprieve.
The Metropolitan is proof that being old and being loved is not the same thing as being safe.
So what do we do?
Do we defend the status quo until we are eventually talking about a Group 2 Victoria Derby on Derby Day?
Or do we get proactive and try something different that gives the race the best possible chance of retaining its Group 1 status and becoming the modern championship race it could be?
For me, that is the choice.
If the quality continues to decline and the best three-year-olds increasingly bypass the race, eventually the decision will be made for us.
I would rather act before that happens.
Evolution is not disrespect
The Derby’s history is bigger than a number on a distance marker.
Racing has always evolved. Distances change. Conditions change. Programmes change. Prizemoney changes.
If changing something improves the quality and relevance of a great race, that is not disrespecting its history.
It is protecting it.
I want the Victoria Derby attracting the best three-year-olds in Australia. I want Derby Day to remain one of our greatest racing days. And I want our programme to reflect the horses our industry is actually breeding, buying and racing.
That is not anti-staying.
It is pro-relevance.
The name is sacred. The history is sacred. But the distance should not be beyond discussion.
