New Zealand Derby
| Group I race | |
| Location |
Ellerslie Racecourse Auckland, New Zealand |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1875 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | Ellerslie Racecourse |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) |
| Surface | Turf |
| Track | Right-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | Set-Weights |
| Purse | NZ$1,000,000 (2017) |
The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds, run over a distance of 2,400 metres (12 furlongs) at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day of Auckland Cup Week. The purse of the race in 2015 was $750,000.
The New Zealand Derby is an amalgamation of two races – the New Zealand Derby, run since 1860 at Riccarton, Christchurch; and the Great Northern Derby, run since 1875 at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland. The races were combined in 1973. Riccarton was awarded two 1,600 m races for three-year-olds in place of its Derby – the New Zealand 2000 Guineas and New Zealand 1000 Guineas.
After its May debut, the New Zealand Derby was soon moved to New Year's Day, and then finally to Boxing Day. It continued to be run on this day for many years and became a popular traditional social occasion for Aucklanders until it was moved to the first day of the new Auckland Cup Week in March. The first March running of the Derby in 2006 was won by Wahid, from the stable of Allan Sharrock in New Plymouth.
Only a small number of fillies have ever won the Derby against the male horses, including the great Desert Gold. Five have done so since 1980 – Our Flight in 1983, Tidal Light in 1987, Popsy in 1994, Silent Achiever in 2012 and Habibi in 2013. On two of those occasions, fillies have also finished second – Cure in 1986 and Fix in 2013.
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