Victoria Derby / VRC Oaks spot on the line in 2025 Byerley Handicap

The Victoria Racing Club proudly calls Flemington the home of the staying horse—unsurprising when it stages the iconic Melbourne Cup and the classic new‑season staying test for three‑year‑olds, the Victoria Derby.

This Saturday, as the season winds down, Flemington hosts a two‑year‑old race designed to spotlight future stayers: win and you’re exempt from the ballot for the Victoria Derby (2500m) on November 1—or, if the winner is a filly, for the VRC Oaks (2500m) five days later.

That race is the Byerley Handicap (1800m), first run in 2017 and now an established springboard into Cup Week’s opening‑day spotlight.

Uptake on the Derby/Oaks ticket has varied, but last year’s winner Red Aces accepted and finished sixth in the Derby just three months on.

The formline is no gimmick: Johnny Get Angry ran second in the Byerley before returning the following season to land the Victoria Derby in 2020.

This year’s Byerley field numbers eight. Among them is lightly raced Frankie’s Boy, lining up for only start two—echoing the Johnny Get Angry path—while stretching straight to 1800m.

Prepared by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, Frankie’s Boy rises sharply in trip after a debut fourth on heavy ground over 1300m at Newcastle last month.

Waterhouse and Bott are seasoned at producing young stayers and have November ambitions in mind.

“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.”

A new wrinkle: Frankie’s Boy will race left‑handed for the first time after doing most of his early work the Sydney way.

“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.

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