Victoria Derby to More Than Ready's Prized Icon

Striking More Than Ready (USA) colt Prized Icon has danced every dance since making his debut with a third to eventual Golden Slipper winner Capitalist in the Listed Breeders Plate (1000m) over 12 months ago and he was at the top of his game again in Saturday's $1,500,000  Group 1 AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m) at Flemington.

James Cummings became the fourth generation horseman to train a VRC Derby winner following great-grandfather James with Comic Court in 1948, grandfather Bart with five Derby wins and his father Anthony who won the Derby with Fiveandahalfstar in 2012.

Prized Icon cleared away under a superb ride by Glyn Schofield to defeat  Sacred Elixir (Pour Moi) by two and a half lengths with the luckless Inference (So You Think) one and a quarter lengths back in third. (photos Grant Courtney).

Last season, Prized Icon placed in the Listed Lonhro Plate, Group III Black Opal Stakes and Listed Baillieu Stakes before breaking through in the Listed Fernhill Stakes.

He then rounded out the season with a win in the Group I Champagne Stakes over a mile at Randwick.

He has been ticking over well in his first five starts this season without winning.

 His overall record stands at 3 wins, 2 seconds and 5 thirds from 13 starts for earnings of $1,494,100.

"I had a pretty trouble-free race the whole way around," Schofield said.

"I just wanted to get on the back of the favourite and follow it. At the Valley last week, he just got lost and it wasn't really his track.

"I knew with the big open spaces today, he would show his best."

James Cummings said he was thrilled the way the race unfolded.

"The first thing I can reflect on is how beautifully Glyn had this horse travelling, especially in the early stages," Cummings said.

"To win staying races like this, horses just love to be in their own comfort zone, their own space and today was chalk and cheese from this horse of what we saw last week where he got none of that.

"The miles and miles of Cummings training have kicked in and he's kicked away to win a Derby nicely and convincingly.

"He's been the model of consistency his whole career, this is thirteen starts now for ten placings and this is his second Group 1.

Passed in short of his $300,000 reserve at the 2015 Inglis Australian Easter Yearling sale, the Gooree homebred is a brother to Group III winner Perfect Moon and a half-brother to Group III winner Matras (Zabeel) out of the stakes-winning Danehill (USA) mare Tropical Affair.

Prized Icon's lightly raced half-sister Tarlaquena (Don Eduardo), is the dam of the talented Kabayan (Haradasun) a Group II winner and Group 1 placed.

Tropical Affair has a 2yo colt by Lonhro named Noble Creed. She missed to Sebring in 2014 and to I Am Invincible last year.

Among the most successful shuttle stallions of all time, Vinery Stud's flagship stallion More Than Ready (USA) covers his 16^th book of mares this spring at a fee of $66,000.