Newgate’s Henry Field reverses stance, backs 2500-metre Victoria Derby
Newgate Farm managing director Henry Field has dropped his support for a 2000-metre Victoria Derby, saying Victorian racing cannot afford to lose top three-year-olds from the Cox Plate, and he sees no case for extra prize money at the current Derby distance.
Newgate Farm managing director Henry Field has abandoned his long-held support for shortening the Victoria Derby to 2000 metres, saying last week’s Cox Plate showed what Victorian racing would lose if the Derby were reshaped into a middle-distance championship for three-year-olds.
Speaking on a social media video featured on the Newgate account, Field said that until this year he would have backed cutting the race from its current 2500 metres, and would have made it the meeting point for the spring’s best classic horses.
“It should be the race where the Golden Rose winner, the Flight Stakes winner, the Caulfield Guineas winner, plus the best staying three-year-olds all meet in what would be the championship three-year-old race for classic horses of the springtime,” he said.
“However, this year I’ve actually changed my view.”
The reason, Field said, was the strength of the three-year-old contingent in the Cox Plate.
Caulfield Guineas winner Warwoven and runner-up Blind Raise both lined up at weight-for-age, the fourth time since 2000 the Guineas quinella has gone on to the race. Warwoven, racing beyond 1600 metres for the first time, finished seventh, 5.3 lengths behind Cosmic Crusader, in the $6 million race run at Flemington.
“Having such great three-year-olds, including the best three-year-old of his generation in Warwoven lining up in the Cox Plate, I think added so much to the fabric of that race,” Field said. “I think Racing Victoria cannot afford to lose the exceptional three-year-olds lining up in the Cox Plate.”
Field also questioned whether more prize money serves any purpose if the distance stays, after Racing Victoria and the Victoria Racing Club lifted the Derby purse by $1 million to a record $3 million this year with first prize of $1.8 million matching the Caulfield Guineas.
“I don’t see any benefit in increasing prize money because I feel this Saturday you’d have the exact same field whether it was a $2 million race or a $3 million race,” he said.
“I think the VRC and Racing Victoria have to make a fundamental decision whether they drop the distance and double the prize money or maintain the same distance, in which case, I don’t see any benefit in increasing the prize money.”
Newgate owned the first two horses home in this year’s Queensland Derby, with both horses sold to Hong Kong soon after.
Racing Victoria has described the purse rise as “an important first step” in a wider assessment of Victoria’s feature programs for three-year-olds and staying races, with the review covering conditions, the pattern and prize money for 2027 and beyond.
The Asian Pattern Committee considered downgrading the Derby, kept it at Group 1 for 2026–27, and will decide its status for 2027–28 after this year’s running.
Field admitted his view “could change next year”.
The 173rd Victoria Derby will be run at Flemington on Saturday.
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