The Victoria Racing Club prides itself on being the home of the stayer.
Flemington runs Australia’s most famous race, the Melbourne Cup, and is the home of the staying test for early season three-year-old’s, the Victoria Derby.
As the racing season draws to a close, the VRC will stage a two-year-old race at Flemington on Saturday that for potential stayers offers the winner a ballot exemption into the Victoria Derby (2500m) on November 1, or in the case of a filly, in the VRC Oaks (2500m) five days later.
First run in 2017, the Byerley Handicap (1800m) has offered the winner a start in the main attraction of the opening day of Melbourne Cup week.
While not all Byerley winners have taken up the option of a start during Melbourne Cup week, last year’s winner Red Aces took his place, running sixth in the Derby just on three months later.
The Byerley has thrown up a Derby winner with Johnny Get Angry running second in the two-year-old 1800m contest before taking the three-year-old Classic in 2020.
This year’s Byerley has attracted a field of eight, and like Johnny Get Angry in 2020, Frankie’s Boy will be stepping out for his second race start in the 1800m contest.
Trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Frankie’s Boy is stepping up from 1300m when fourth on debut on heavy ground at Newcastle last month.
Waterhouse and Bott are no strangers to having young horses contest staying races and hope to have Frankie’s Boy in the Victoria Derby come November.
“He’s going to be a horse that appreciates getting over ground in time and there are limited options for them here (in Sydney),” Bott said.
“He’s ran on the one occasion and it’s hard to take any reference from that as it was on the heavy track at Newcastle and he struggled on that ground.
“He’d had three trials prior to that and he’s a horse that we wanted to get out over a trip and he’s a horse that could easily, with the right campaign, be down there for a Derby.
“He’s got the pedigree and everything to suggest that, but it’s all about getting him seasoned and conditioned if it is to be an option.”
Bott said racing for the first time left-handed having done the majority of his lead-up work to his debut in Sydney, would be something Frankie’s Boy will need to overcome on Saturday.
“He’s done some work the Melbourne way, especially early in the prep,” Bott said.
“There are a few things for him to overcome on Saturday and that is one of them that will be new for him as well.”
Ben Melham will ride Frankie’s Boy on Saturday.
