G1 Race history
Victoria Derby
- Track
- Flemington
- Distance
- 2500m
- Conditions
- Three-year-olds, set weights
- First run
- 1855
The Race
The first Victoria Derby was run on Wednesday 7 November 1855 with eight runners.
Fillies won the first three runnings, and the last filly to win was Frances Tressady in 1923.
Phar Lap won the Derby in 1929.
Tulloch started at 1/10 in 1957, the shortest-priced favourite in the race's history, while Rebel Raider won at 100/1 in 2008.
Clare Lindop, on Rebel Raider in 2008, was the first female jockey to win the Derby.
Thirteen horses have won the Victoria Derby and the Melbourne Cup in the same three-year-old season, the first Lantern in 1864 and the most recent Skipton in 1941.
Trainer James Scobie and jockey Bobbie Lewis each won the Derby eight times, the records for their roles.
Gai Waterhouse became the first woman to train a Derby winner, with Nothin' Leica Dane in 1995.
The race record over 2500m is 2:33.60, set by Star Of The Realm in 1991.
Sons of American Pharoah won the Derby in consecutive years, Riff Rocket in 2023 and Goldrush Guru in 2024.
Winners
| Year | Horse | Trainer | Jockey | Barrier | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Observer | Ciaron Maher | Mark Zahra | 4 | $2.45 |
| 2024 | Goldrush Guru | Andrew Gluyas | 13 | $8.00 | |
| 2023 | Riff Rocket | Chris Waller | James McDonald | 5 | $2.20 |
| 2022 | Manzoice | Chris Waller | Michael Dee | 7 | $21.00 |
| 2021 | Hitotsu | Ciaron Maher & David Eustace | John Allen | 6 | $4.00 |
| 2020 | Johnny Get Angry | Denis Pagan | Lachlan King | 5 | $21.00 |
| 2019 | Warning | Anthony Freedman | Damien Oliver | 10 | $9.50 |
| 2018 | Extra Brut | Darren Weir | John Allen | 13 | $10.00 |
| 2017 | Ace High | David Payne | Tye Angland | 3 | $7.00 |
| 2016 | Prized Icon | James Cummings | Glyn Schofield | 4 | $17.00 |
A blank cell means we could not confirm it from a source, so we left it blank rather than guess.
Patterns, Rated
- Interesting 4 of the last 10 winners started favourite (2017, 2021, 2023, 2025) (n=10, 4 of 10)
- Interesting All 10 of the last 10 winners started at 20/1 ($21) or shorter (n=10, 10 of 10)
- Pub stat 7 of the last 10 winners drew barrier 7 or lower (n=10, 7 of 10)
- Pub stat Chris Waller trained the 2022 and 2023 winners, and Ciaron Maher was trainer or co-trainer in 2021 and 2025 (n=10, 2 of 10)
- Pub stat John Allen rode 2 of the last 10 winners (Extra Brut 2018, Hitotsu 2021) (n=10, 2 of 10)
- Interesting OLBG counts 4 of the last 10 winners as having run at Caulfield last start and 3 at Moonee Valley (n=10, 4 of 10)
Strong signal: enough runnings and a racing reason behind it. Interesting: worth knowing, not worth betting on alone. Pub stat: fun at the bar, useless at the window.
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