If there are to be changes to Sydney’s autumn carnival, then this is the opportune time to properly honour five of the greatest champions, Phar Lap, Carbine, Bernborough, Tulloch and Kingston Town.

The famous quintet were inaugural Hall of Fame inductees in 2001 but remarkably, not one of these elite racehorses has a Group 1 race named after him.

Racing NSW and ATC officials should seize the opportunity to acknowledge the historical significance of these legendary champions who earned their stripes in Sydney racing.

There are a number of Sydney’s Group 1 races that could be rebranded to ensure these Hall of Famers are recognized and remembered.

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Kingston Town winning the Sydney Cup.

Some suggestions include the Phar Lap Rosehill Guineas, Carbine All Aged Stakes, Kingston Town Randwick Guineas, Bernborough Canterbury Stakes and the Tulloch Ranvet Stakes.

Phar Lap’s first Group 1 win was in the 1929 Rosehill Guineas and Carbine was a two-time All Aged Stakes winner (1889-90).

Kingston Town was trained at Randwick where he scored many of his greatest wins, Bernborough’s name can replace the Canterbury Stakes which is a misnomer as it is run at Randwick anyway, and Tulloch thrashed the older horses in 1958 Rawson (now Ranvet) Stakes during his incredible three-year-old season.

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Tulloch winning the 1957 Victorian Derby.

Finally, Tommy Smith is rightfully acknowledged with the running of the TJ Smith Stakes during The Championships but it’s almost embarrassing that another inaugural Hall of Fame trainer is overlooked – Bart Cummings.

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The legendary “Cups Kings” doesn’t have a Group 1 race named after him – there’s the Group 3 Bart Cummings at Flemington – so it would be fitting if the Tancred Stakes was renamed the Bart Cummings Stakes after the greatest-ever trainer of stayers.