“Almost the heaviest I’ve seen at Randwick,” Jim Cassidy tells you of the heavy-whatever at headquarters. “They’ll know this one is 2400 metres.”

Then he shrugs, winks as he does.

“Doesn’t matter,” he says. “The punters still turn up, the money is still there to win.”

There and then, the veteran jockey nailed the feeling at Royal Randwick on Saturday, the first day of The Championships.

Despite the ugly and fickle weather, as sheets of rain came in at right angles one minute and sun broke through black clouds the next, the first day of Sydney racing’s first day of the rest of its life was a genuine success.

The official crowd was 24,959 - about the same crowd that turned up to see Black Caviar’s final race bathed in sunshine last year - but the number was truly irrelevant.

As millions were won in prizemoney, as quality horses filled every race, and Lankan Rupee confirmed his status as the next superstar of the turf with a crushing victory in the T.J. Smith, and trainer Chris Waller confirmed his status as the best in the country with the first four past the post in the Doncaster, this was a breakthrough moment for Sydney racing.

Well, at least it felt that way.

Not that long ago, sections of the old Queen Elizabeth II Stand were riddled with concrete cancer, and Derby day was marred with fears parts of it could land on the heads of unsuspecting punters.

A casual walk through the course on Saturday, through the general-admission areas in the new $154 million grandstand, through the refurbished but not forgotten members' stand adjacent to it, through to the marquees at the end of the straight, revealed an elegant race day Sydney hasn’t witnessed in recent memory.

Racing is nothing without its romance or its stories and the different characters who make up the unforgiving pursuit. It was there to be seen in each race, not least the Derby.

Owner Craig Miller had his left hand in a cast. He has a share in Heresdecasino, which is to blame for the injury.

“My horse pulled back on me yesterday and as it pulled back it snapped the lead, the lead wrapped around my index finger and as he bolted through the bullring he snapped my finger,” he said.

Broken finger? Minor details.

“I said to my mates two years ago at the Melbourne Cup we will race this horse in the Derby,” he said. “And here we are.”

Prominent owner Peter Horwitz, whose family has owned Sir Dapper and Juggler over the years, had Best Case in the same race.

“The weather is a tragedy,” says Horwitz, who has seen more Derby days than most. “But anytime the government tips $10 million into two days of racing, it has to be a success no matter what.”

Horwitz and Miller stood next to each other on the fence out the front, but the owner of the winner - Criterion - was on a yacht in France.

Sir Owen Glenn is co-owner of the New Zealand Warriors, and he was furious about coach Matt Elliott being sacked without his knowledge less than a week ago.

His Sebring colt's commanding victory in a race worth $2 million surely eased the pain.

“This is totally different,” said his representative, Geoff Roan, as Criterion came back to scale. “He’s excited. He’s in France and he would’ve watched. His PA had it linked up live. He missed the Rosehill Guineas and it really annoyed him.”

In the eyes of many, the success of The Championships will be determined over two Saturday afternoons, but there is a big picture that must come into view.

Racing NSW boss Peter V’landys defers to the judgment of Destinations NSW, which has told him that it takes five years to develop a brand.

He and chairman John Messara reckon they are well down the track when it comes to establishing “The Championships” as a major Sydney brand/event/carnival.

“We started four or five months ago,” he said earlier in the week. “We feel like we are about three years down the track.”

On Saturday, on the first day of the rest of Sydney racing’s life, it was a start worth cherishing.