Prized Icon wins Group One Victoria Derby

James Cummings has become the fourth generation of one of Australia’s most famous racing families to train a Victoria Derby winner.

Prized Icon turned out to be the best spring stayer among the three-year-old ranks when he claimed the blue-riband Classic as a $17 chance at Flemington on Saturday.

Cummings’ great-grandfather Jim won the Derby in 1948 with Comic Court, his grandfather Bart trained five winners of the race, and his father, Anthony, prepared the 2012 winner, Fiveandahalfstar.

Joining in at the 300m for former South African jockey Glyn Schofield, Prized Icon raced away from favourite Sacred Elixir ($2.70), with Inference ($9.50) in the minor placing.

“I had a pretty trouble-free race the whole way around. I just wanted to get on the back of the favourite and follow it because at the Valley last week he got last and it wasn’t really his track,” Schofield said.

“And I knew with the big open spaces here today, he would show his best.”