Australian Derby
 Nuffield,1938 winner Harold Badger up |
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| Location | Randwick Racecourse Sydney, Australia |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1889 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Website | Australian Jockey Club |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2,400 metres (1½ miles) |
| Track | Grass, right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | Set weights |
| Purse | A$1,800,000 |
The Australian Derby also known as AJC Derby, is a Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race run by the Australian Jockey Club (AJC) at Randwick Racecourse in Sydney, Australia. Open to three year olds, the race is held annually in the latter part of March or early April. The AJC says it is known as the top ranked event for three-year-olds in Australian and New Zealand race classifications.
Contested over 2,400 metres on a right-handed turf course, it has been won by some of the greats of the Australian turf, including Phar Lap, Tulloch, and Kingston Town.
Contents |
[edit] History
Inaugurated in 1861 as the AJC Randwick Derby Stakes, the first race was won by Kyogle, a grandson of the Touchstone who was a four-time Champion sire in Great Britain & Ireland. In 1865 the name of the race was changed to the AJC Australia Derby Stakes then from 1873 through 1993 it was called the AJC Derby. Although the race officially became the AJC Australian Derby in 1994, it is still commonly referred to as the AJC Derby.
The official records show that Prince Humphrey won the 1928 Derby, but he wasn’t in the race. It was a horse called Cragsman, by the same sire but with a different dam. This substitution came to light when Dick Tate of Toowoomba saw a picture of the Derby winner and was aware that Prince Humphrey had different markings, and had photographs to prove it.[1]
From 1932 to 1956, geldings were banned from competing in the Derby.
Originally run at a distance of 1½ miles, in 1972 the race was changed to 2,400 metres (11.93 furlongs) to conform to the metric system. In 1978 there was no race held and under a reorganisation, it was changed from a spring racing event to be run in the autumn beginning in 1979.
[edit] Records
Time record: (at current 2,400 metres distance)
- 2:28.41 - Octagonal (1996)
Largest winning margin:
- 10 lengths - Trident (1886)
Most wins by a jockey:
- 6 - Thomas Hales (1875, 1880, 1882, 1884, 1886, 1887)
[edit] Winners of the Australian Derby since 1979
[edit] Earlier winners
- 1978 - No race
- 1977 - Belmura Lad
- 1976 - Great Lover
- 1975 - Battle Sign
- 1974 - Taras Bulba
- 1973 - Imagele
- 1972 - Gold Brick
- 1971 - Classic Mission
- 1970 - Silver Sharpe
- 1969 - Divide And Rule
- 1968 - Wilton Park
- 1967 - Swift Peter
- 1966 - El Gordo
- 1965 - Prince Grant
- 1964 - Royal Sovereign
- 1963 - Summer Fiesta
- 1962 - Summer Prince
- 1961 - Summer Fair
- 1960 - Persian Lyric
- 1959 - Martello Towers
- 1958 - Skyline
- 1957 - Tulloch
- 1956 - Monte Carlo
- 1955 - Caranna
- 1954 - Prince Delville
- 1953 - Prince Morvi
- 1952 - Deep River
- 1951 - Channel Rise
- 1950 - Alister
- 1949 - Playboy
- 1948 - Carbon Copy
- 1947 - Valiant Crown
- 1946 - Concerto
- 1945 - Magnificent
- 1944 - Tea Rose
- 1943 - Moorland
- 1942 - Main Topic
- 1941 - Laureate
- 1940 - Pandect
- 1939 - Reading
- 1938 - Nuffield
- 1937 - Avenger
- 1936 - Talking
- 1935 - Allunga DH
- 1935 - Homer DH
- 1934 - Theo
- 1933 - Hall Mark
- 1932 - Peter Pan
- 1931 - Ammon Ra
- 1930 - Tregilla
- 1929 - Phar Lap
- 1928 - Prince Humphrey
- 1927 - Trivalve
- 1926 - Rampion
- 1925 - Manfred
- 1924 - Heroic
- 1923 - Ballymena
- 1922 - Rivoli
- 1921 - Cupidon
- 1920 - Salitros
- 1919 - Artilleryman (DH)
- 1919 - Richmond Main (DH)
- 1918 - Gloaming
- 1917 - Biplane
- 1916 - Kilboy
- 1915 - Cetigne
- 1914 - Mountain Knight
- 1913 - Beragoon
- 1912 - Cider
- 1911 - Cisco
- 1910 - Tanami
- 1909 - Prince Foote
- 1908 - Parsee
- 1907 - Mountain King
- 1906 - Poseidon
- 1905 - Noctuiform
- 1904 - Sylvanite
- 1903 - Belah
- 1902 - Abundance
- 1901 - Hautvilliers
- 1900 - Malster
- 1899 - Cranberry
- 1898 - Picture
- 1897 - Amberite
- 1896 - Charge
- 1895 - Bob Ray
- 1894 - Bonnie Scotland
- 1893 - Trenchant
- 1892 - Camoola
- 1891 - Stromboli
- 1890 - Gibraltar
- 1889 - Singapore
- 1888 - Melos
- 1887 - Abercorn
- 1886 - Trident
- 1885 - Nordenfeldt
- 1884 - Bargo
- 1883 - Le Grand
- 1882 - Navigator
- 1881 - Wheatear
- 1880 - Grand Flaneur
- 1879 - Nellie
- 1878 - His Lordship
- 1877 - Woodlands
- 1876 - Robinson Crusoe
- 1875 - Richmond
- 1874 - Kingsborough
- 1873 - Benvolio
- 1872 - Loup Garou
- 1871 - Javelin
- 1870 - Florence
- 1869 - Charon
- 1868 - The Duke
- 1867 - Fireworks
- 1866 - The Barb
- 1865 - Clove
- 1864 - Yattendon
- 1863 - Ramornie
- 1862 - Regno
- 1861 - Kyogle
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Front cover of 1948 AJC Australian Derby racebook
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1948 AJC Australian Derby racebook recording the winner, Carbon Copy
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1948 AJC Australian Derby racebook
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1948 AJC Australian Derby racebook
[edit] See also
The premiere race for three-year-old Thoroughbreds in other countries:
- New Zealand Derby
- Derby Italiano
- Deutsches Derby
- Epsom Derby
- Kentucky Derby
- Prix du Jockey Club
- Queen's Plate
[edit] References
- ^ Australian Racing History - Rogues & Ring-Ins Retrieved 2010-05-25
- ^ 2011 result
- ^ 2010 result
- ^ 2009 result
- ^ 2008 result
- ^ 2007 result
- ^ 2006 result
