From The Racing Office: Vic Trotters Derby changes, Vicbred Vouchers brought forward

VICTORIA TROTTERS DERBY INCREASED TO $75,000

Maryborough’s famed Redwood Classic race day will have even more riches this year, with the Victoria Trotters Derby to shed its heats and instead have a $75,000 final, up from $60,000.

The Group 1 will maximise earnings on the club’s biggest race day, which will be on Sunday 1 November and also feature The Redwood Classic ($60,000 Group 1) and the Maryborough Trotters Cup ($30,000).

The boost was part funded by Maryborough Harness Racing Club, which worked with Harness Racing Victoria to remove the Derby heats and boost the final. Removing the heats recognised a steadying decline in acceptances, which fell from 34 in 2021 to 15 last year.

Three-year-old trotters will have ample opportunities to prove they are worthy of a Derby start this spring through the following key lead-up races:

• 4 September – Vicbred Super Series Heats (Colts & Fillies)
• 12 September – Vicbred Super Series Finals (Colts & Fillies)
• 26 September – Need For Speed Heats (Colts & Fillies)
• 10 October – Need For Speed Finals (Colts & Fillies)
• 17 October – Victoria Trotters Oaks

Should the Victoria Trotters Derby receive more than 12 nominations, manual field selection from HRV’s Racing Department will apply. Should nomination numbers warrant it, HRV will program a $10,000 consolation race to provide an additional opportunity for three-year-old trotters.

The Redwood Day race program can be found here: Meeting Program – Australian Harness Racing

VICBRED VOUCHER SCHEME TO CONCLUDE IN OCTOBER

October will mark the final month of the inaugural Vicbred Voucher Scheme, with participants set to benefit from an expanded allocation of vouchers.

To ensure owners can access their rewards sooner and take advantage of upcoming breeding and yearling sale opportunities, an additional 20 vouchers have been brought forward into next month. This will see a total of 40 Vicbred Vouchers distributed throughout the month across selected pacing and trotting races.

The Victorian Government-supported initiative, funded through the Victorian Racing Industry Fund, provides $5,000 vouchers to winners of designated races. The vouchers can be redeemed towards:

• The purchase of a Vicbred Pure or Vicbred Platinum nominated yearling at the Nutrien or Australian Pacing Gold Victorian Yearling Sales; or
• The cost of a service fee to a Victorian-registered sire, provided the mare is inseminated and foals down in Victoria.

The October schedule features races across metropolitan and country Victoria, providing opportunities for owners at all levels of the industry to benefit from the scheme.

The additional vouchers have been allocated to a range of existing races throughout the month, including maiden, age-restricted and rating-based events for both pacers and trotters.

With the conclusion of the scheme approaching, participants are encouraged to target the selected races and take full advantage of the incentives available during October.

October 2026 Vicbred Voucher Schedule

• 28 pacing races
• 12 trotting races
• 40 vouchers on offer
• $5,000 value per voucher
• $200,000 in vouchers available throughout October

The $2.75 million Vicbred Voucher Scheme continues to strengthen Victorian breeding and ownership by reinvesting directly into the state’s standardbred industry and supporting future participation at both the breeding and racing levels.

For more information on the Vicbred program and voucher eligibility, visit the Vicbred section of The Trots website.