Victoria Derby

Victoria Derby

Group 1 race
1940 winner – Lucrative with Maurice McCarten up
Location	Flemington Racecourse Melbourne, Australia
Inaugurated	1855
Race type	Thoroughbred - Flat racing
Sponsor	AAMI (2016)
Website	Victoria Racing Club
Race information
Distance	2,500 metres
Surface	Turf
Track	Left-handed
Qualification	Three-year-olds
Weight	Set weights Colts & geldings: 55 1⁄2kg Fillies: 53 1⁄2kg
Purse	A$1,500,000 (2016)

The Victoria Derby is a Victoria Racing Club Group 1 Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held under Set Weights conditions over a distance of 2,500 metres at Flemington Racecourse, Melbourne, Australia scheduled annually on the first day of VRC Spring Carnival, Victoria Derby Day. Total prize money for the race is A$1,500,000 and $10,000 trophy.

Originally run at a distance of  1 ¹⁄₂ miles, in 1972 it was changed to 2,400 metres to conform to the metric system. However, the new distance brought potential danger from too short a run from the start to the first turn and as such it was changed again in 1973 to its present distance of 2,500 metres.

First run in 1855, the first three editions were won by fillies but the last time a filly won was in 1923 when Frances Tressady claimed victory. In its history, only one horse has ever won the Victoria Derby more than once. Fireworks accomplished the feat, winning back-to-back runnings in November 1867 and again in 1868 after a change of the race date to New Year's Day. Between 1931 and 1956 geldings were not permitted to compete.

Three horses have won their first race with a win in the Victoria Derby. In 1883, the New Zealand-bred horse Martini Henry won the Victoria Derby at his first start. Fire Oak in 1990, Redding in 1992 and Preferment in 2014 are the only other maidens to win the Victoria Derby.

In 2005 Clare Lindop became the first female jockey to ride in the Victoria Derby and became the first female to win in 2008. Gai Waterhouse became the first woman to train a winner when Nothin' Leica Dane won the 1995 running.

Time record: (at current 2,500 metres distance)

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

While the major focus of Victoria Derby Day is the racing (since it is the only race day in Australia where each and every race has Group Status), in recent years the annual Fashions on the Field' held on the fourth and last day of the VRC Spring Carnival celebrations have shared the limelight. Derby Day has become Men's Day in the Fashion Stakes, and every year increasing numbers of fashionable gentlemen competing for prizes and a spot in the social columns. Traditionally black and white are worn on this day by women and morning suits by men. The flower of the day is a blue cornflower. The idea of wearing a cornflower on Derby Day was introduced in 1962 by Mrs Sheelah Wood, wife of prominent VRC committeeman of the time, Mr Samuel Richard Creswick Wood.