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James Cummings proved that he can do it on his own as Prized Icon produced one of the strongest three-year-old staying performances of recent times in winning the Group 1 AAM Victoria Derby over 2500 metres - the feature race of Day 1 of the Melbourne Cup Carnival.Cummings, 28, confirmed that success is definitely in his bloodline as he followed in the footprints of his great grandfather James Cummings; his grandfather Bart Cummings, the Cups King; and his father, Anthony Cummings, in saddling a winner of the classic.Ridden by veteran South African-born jockey Glyn Schofield, Prized Icon ($17) saw off the challenge by favourite Sacred Elixir ($2.70) by two-and-a-half lengths with the well-backed Inference ($9.50) a further length-and-a-quarter away in third.Oceanographer put on a slashing Melbourne Cup trial in winning the Group 2 Lexus Stakes (2500m). Sweeping from last to first, and just getting there by the official margin of a long-neck, this Charlie Appleby-trained visitor from England propelled himself into calculations for Tuesdays race -- he is now second favourite at $6 with UBET?-- and received a one-kilogram penalty for the Cup in which he will now carry 52kg.Shane Nichols, from the Mornington Peninsula, meanwhile, saddled his first Group 1 win as I Am A Star ($8.50) saluted in the Myer Stakes (1600m). Jockey Dean Yendall is also having a Carnival to remember in riding his second career Group 1 winner after he steered Thursdays Crown Oaks favourite Yankee Rose to victory in the Spring Champion Stakes in Sydney three weeks earlier.The Mick Price-trained Flying Artie ($10) caused somewhat of an upset in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for three-year-olds. Billed as the Race of the Spring, most pundits had his expected his stablemate Extreme Choice ($3.60) and Godolphins Astern ($2.80) would fight out the finish.The fourth Group 1 race on the day saw Le Romain ($15) win the Cantala Stakes over 1600 metres for Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, to give jockey Hugh Bowman a double after saluting aboard Flying Artie. In the very open race, favourite The United States ($6) finished just outside of the placings in fourth.Headline ActJames Cummings: Commenting that it might take a little while for the win to sink in, his reaction to the victory was as graceful as any post-race comments made immediately after the event could get -- especially when he paid tribute to the patient ride of Glyn Schofield in steering Prized Icon to victory.Away from the snapping photographers and glaring television cameras, the warm embrace between the trainer and his father, Anthony, said everything of their excitement at James achievement and the pride of a father seeing his son star on such a big stage. How often does the fourth generation of a training dynasty go on to win the same race over six decades?James was very quick to attribute any success he has had to the extraordinary situation of being mentored by his late grandfatherThe win was also a further family affair as James father-in-law, Filipino racehorse breeding magnate and major brewery executive Eduardo Cojuanco, bred Prized Icon at his southern New South Wales stud, while James wife -- Monica -- was also in the ownership.Talking PointDerby distance: It may not have been the first-choice topic of conversation among many of the 90,136 people who attended Derby Day, but the appropriateness of the 2500 metres Derby distance comes into question when many analysts are doing their form prior to the race.The Derby is run three months after the competitors officially turn three-years-old on Aug. 1. Is the race programming expecting too much of these young horses in training for and running in such an important race over that grueling distance? Is it too long?While Prized Icon looked to have handled the trip within himself, there is a case made by some trainers that once they have prepared horses of this age to race over such a distance, then it is more difficult to prolong their racing careers with success into their fourth year and beyond.Will we see a 2000 metre Victoria Derby sometime soon? Probably not. Tradition will weigh heavily on any decision.EyecatchersOceanographer: He was rated a $151 hope when Melbourne Cup markets opened in August. This Charlie Appleby-trained English raider confirmed he wasnt in Australia just to be a low-flying chance with his slashing third placing in the Geelong Cup, and he followed up with one of the most impressive Lexus Stakes performances for a winner of that race -- and as such produced one of the best Melbourne Cup trials in recent years.With the winner of the Lexus Stakes gaining automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup field, chief handicapper Greg Carpenter still allotted a one-kilogram penalty on the strength of the win to take Oceanographers Cup impost to 52kg. It drew this response from Appleby toward jockey Chad Schofield, who will take the Cup ride: It told Chad that he can have an extra cup of tea on the day then.UBET have Oceanographer as the second-favourite for the Melbourne Cup at $7.50.?Tiamo Grace: The Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) has historically been the best guide to the Group 1 Crown Oaks (2500m) the following Thursday, and Tiamo Grace may well take it up to race favourite and Cox Plate third placegetter Yankee Rose in the classic. Tiamo Graces Wakeful win followed up a luckless run at Caulfield a fortnight earlier. While UBET have rated Yankee Rose at $1.95 in their Oaks market, Tiamo Grace is the second-favourite at $4.60.BlackbookersPure Pride: She was awkwardly away from the gates in the Group 1 Myer Classic and rattled home for fifth placing at $51. Should trainer Murray Johnson decide to line her up in the Group 2 Sandown Guineas (1600m) on Nov. 12, she may be one to remember.Rocketeer: There has to be a feature race win for this guy somewhere when the Autumn Carnival comes around in Sydney next year -- or earlier in the late summer features in Melbourne. He produced four consecutive second placings in lead-up runs and still ran a gallant seventh in the Derby at $12 having had to contend with starting from barrier No. 19.FlopAcatour: This colt may have jumped away from the barriers awkwardly and found to be lame in one leg post-race, but that gives no comfort to the punters who charged into him at $5 with UBET in the dying minutes before race time. Although there were those excuses, as noted in the Stewards Report, the colt also failed at its previous run at Caulfield as the $2.60 favourite. Erik Kramer Jersey .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Jay Cutler Jersey . -- The plastic that was taped across the lockers in Oaklands clubhouse came down and the champagne that was on ice went back into the cooler. http://www.custombearsjersey.com/custom-bob-parsons-jersey-large-236t.html . "I dont know that were close," said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. "I just think, right now, the acquisition cost just doesnt work for us right now. I dont know if I can quantify how far off or things like that that they might be but I would say we continue to have dialogue. Nick Williams Jersey . Reassurance came from Paul Tesori, his caddie and close friend whose newborn son is in intensive care in a Florida hospital. "Paul sent me a text this morning, just told me he loved me and wanted to go out and fight as hard as I would any other day," Simpson said Sunday after doing just that. J.P. Holtz Jersey . 1 position. The Mustangs (6-0), who beat Queens 50-31 last weekend, earned 17 first-place votes and 287 points in voting by the Football Reporters of Canada. Western was last ranked first in the country in October 2011. The Boston Celtics called in the areas most famous athlete to help with their sales pitch to free agent?Kevin Durant.A photo emerged on social media of?New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady?walking alongside Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge on Saturday afternoon in the Hamptons, where the team was scheduled to meet with the coveted former MVP. Also in Bostons recruitment?squad were co-owner Steve Pagliuca and players Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.Coach Brad Stevens and players Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder were also expected to be part of Boostons pitch.ddddddddddddack in September 2011, Durant tweeted, Man Tom Brady is like a perfect QB...seems like he never makes any mistakes.Brady wasnt the only Boston-area champion who wanted to help woo Durant to town, as?Boston Red Sox slugger David Ortiz?took to Twitter to chip in.The Celtics, armed with enough cap space to pursue two max-contract players this summer, reached agreement with Al Horford on Saturday, according to sources. ' ' '