The announcement of The Big Dance did not immediately upset V’landys’ Victorian counterparts.

“We’ve got the best racing industry in the country, we’ve got the most iconic spring carnival, we’ve got all the biggest events and I think it’s a testament to our strength, and a testament to the nature of our calendar, that other jurisdictions want what we’ve got,” Victorian racing minister Martin Pakula said. “But they’re not going to get what we’ve got.”

While V’landys played down any threat to the Melbourne Cup in this latest move, there was no disguising NSW’s attack on the Victoria Derby after prizemoney for the Spring Champion Stakes was elevated to $2 million and the race shuffled back a fortnight, so it will be run just a week before the blue-riband event at Flemington. The Spring Champion will also be run on the same day as the Cox Plate, where Moonee Valley officials salivate over the prospect of three-year-olds running, and the Moonee Valley Vase, a traditional Derby lead-up.

“There has been a pathway through the Spring Champion Stakes to the Cox Plate and you love to see the star three-year-olds to come through that race,” Moonee Valley chief executive Michael Browell said.

“It might encourage the three-year-olds to come to Melbourne sooner and I still think the best three-year-olds will find their way into a Cox Plate; it might just keep the Derby horses in Sydney. The race it will impact for us is The Vase.”

Racing NSW has increased prizemoney across the board, with Saturday metropolitan races now worth $150,000, midweek metropolitan races $55,000, provincial $40,000, country TAB $25,000 and picnic races $5000. Group 1 races will now be worth a minimum $600,000.

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The prizemoney increases will be introduced on July 1.

Racing media doyen and Herald columnist Max Presnell has been honoured alongside former Daily Telegraph legend Ken Callander with the Stan Fox Stakes renamed The Callander-Presnell. It will replace the $1 million Bondi Stakes, which has been canned after just three years of underwhelming fields.

Legendary Sydney race callers John Tapp and Ian Craig will have a new $500,000 three-year-old race over 1400m on October 8 named in their honour.

Prizemoney for the Winx Stakes will increase from $500,000 to $750,000, while the Silver Eagle will now be worth $1 million, up from $500,000.

Meanwhile, William Pike, one of the most popular jockeys in Australia, will ride his first meeting in Sydney next Wednesday after his high-profile switch from Perth due to his vaccination status.

Pike has been booked for rides at the Kensington meeting and will have his first Saturday program on Hobartville and Silver Slipper Stakes day at Rosehill.

Pike announced last month he would continue his career on the east coast after Racing Wagering Western Australia confirmed it would require all participants to be double vaccinated.

Pike forfeited the ride on subsequent Perth Cup winner Midnight Blue after the WA government ruled all racegoers on New Year’s Day would need to be double jabbed. The NSW government does not require all people on racecourses to be fully vaccinated, meaning Pike was content to resume his career in Sydney after the RWWA mandate was triggered.