Australian Derby 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: The Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby is a popular autumn betting double.

The Australian Derby, also known as the ATC Derby, is one of four Group 1 races taking place at Royal Randwick Racecourse on the first Saturday in April on Day 1 of The Championships. The meeting is also referred to as Doncaster Mile Day and the other elite levels on the card are the TJ Smith Stakes, ATC Inglis’ Sires Produce Stakes, and the Doncaster Mile.

2022 Australian Derby winner Hitotsu. Photo: Steve Hart.

The Australian Derby is open to three-year-old horses and offers $2 million in total prize money including $1.2 million to the winning youngster.

The Australian Derby prizemoney for 2020 was reduced to $1 million including $580,000 for the winning three-year-old because of the Coronavirus pandemic and it’s impact on Australian racing, but was back up to $2 million again in 2021.

Run at set weights over 2400m the colts and geldings in the Australian Derby field carry 56.5kg and the fillies 54.5kg.

The winners of the Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas are exempt from Australian Derby ballot each year and provide key lead-ups to the mile and a half classic. The Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby double was last completed by Criterion (2014) and Riff Rocket (2024).

The Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville in May is a nice next-up target for Australian Derby graduates and the SA Derby – ATC Derby double was recently completed by Explosive Jack (2021) who won the former at $16.

In 2022 Hitotsu made history as the first horse to do the VRC Derby – ATC Derby double since Mahogany (1993/94).

The feat was repeated in 2024 by Riff Rocket who also handed Chris Waller his maiden Australian Derby victory.

Each autumn the Australian Derby winner is also exempt from ballot from the following weekend’s Group 1 $5 million Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).

The latest edition of the Australian Derby took place on Saturday April 6, 2024 at Royal Randwick and was won by Chris Waller’s now three-time Group 1 champ Riff Rocket ($2.20F).  

2024 Australian Derby Results

The 2024 Australian Derby results and finishing order will be known on Saturday April 6, 2024 and published below.

Riff Rocket winning the 2024 Australian Derby for Chris Waller. Photo: Steve Hart.

• 1st: #1 Riff Rocket
• 2nd: #3 Ceolwulf
• 3rd: #9 Glad You Think So

The Chris Waller-trained Victoria Derby champ from the spring, Riff Rocket, backed-up from his Rosehill Guineas victory to keep the Group 1 Sydney wins coming this autumn saluting narrowly for the punters as the $2.20 favourite off a perfectly-timed ride by James McDonald in the 2024 Australian Derby results at Randwick.

2024 Australian Derby Odds

The Australian Derby odds 2024 will be published below as soon as our markets are open on the three-years-old autumn classic.

Australian Derby Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 6, 2024
• Track: Royal Randwick Racecourse
• Distance: 2400m
• Conditions: Set Weights – 3YOs
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $2 million
• First Run: 1861

Australian Derby Betting

Australian Derby betting markets are dominated by young staying types showing a potential to step up to 2400m and run out the distance.

The best performers in the Rosehill Guineas over 400m shorter a fortnight earlier always feature highly in the Australian Derby odds and the double was achieved twice in three years when It’s A Dundeel (2013) and Criterion (2014) scored both Group 1s.

Riff Rocket (2024) was the last horse to do the Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby double.

Fillies have a very poor record against the boys in the Australian Derby and make a risky punt with only one beating home the boys in over 30 years in Shamrocker (2011) as they are usually taking on their own kind in the Australian Oaks the following weekend.

Australian Derby betting favourites saluted five times from 2006 – 2024 most recently with Criterion (2014), Hitotsu ($3.30 in 2022), and Riff Rocket ($2.20 in 2024).

In 2021 there was an upset with Explosive Jack winning at Australian Derby odds of 15/1.

There was another notable upset in the 2023 Australian Derby results with Major Beel winning at $31 to hand trainer Gai Waterhouse her first win in the classic.

Australian Derby Field

The Australian Derby race field features a selection of the season’s best staying three-year-olds facing off over the mile and a half, many seeing the distance for the first time.

The traditional lead-up for horses heading into the Australian Derby field is the Group Rosehill Guineas (2000m) held a fortnight before.

Criterion (2014) is one of the last Australian Derby betting favourites to salute for the punters. Photo Credit: Steve Hart.

Five times since 2003, 18 horses have lined-up in the Australian Derby field when Clangalang (2003), Criterion (2014), Levendi (2018), Hitotsu (2022)m and Major Beel (2023) won against capacity fields.

Australian Derby nominations are taken on a Tuesday in early to mid-February before first acceptances a month later in the first week of March.

Final Australian Derby acceptances then close on the Tuesday before the race attracting a fee of $7,700 for connections when the field and barrier draw is released.

2024 Australian Derby Field

The Australian Derby 2024 field and barrier draw will be published here when they are released on the Tuesday of race week – April 2nd, 2024.

Chris Waller’s Victoria Derby champion from the spring, Riff Rocket, coming off a lead-up victory in the Rosehill Guineas leads the 2024 Australian Derby field and betting markets at Randwick this weekend.

• 2024 ATC Derby Scratchings: #13 Saxon Brave (6), #14 Zardozi (2).

2024 Australian Derby Nominations

Nominations for the Australian Derby in 2024 close at midday on Tuesday the 13th of February, 2024.

The Australian Derby 2024 nominations attracted a bumper 134 potential three-year-old stayers including Godolphin’s Spring Champion Stakes winner Tom Kitten, the Chris Waller-trained VRC Derby champ Riff Rocket looking to do the interstate Derby double, and the Lindsay Park-trained Moonee Valley Vase winning Fiorente colt Apulia who was runner-up in the Victoria Derby results.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2024 Australian Derby First Acceptances

The official Australian Derby 2024 first acceptances close on Tuesday the 12th of March, 2024.

NZ Derby winning filly Orchestral is among the early favourites in the 56 first acceptances taken for Sydney’s 2024 Australian Derby this autumn.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Australian Derby Tips

Australian Derby tips are usually determined by the results of the Rosehill Guineas two weeks earlier at Sydney’s other premier track.

Only three times from 2001-2024 has an Australian Derby winner run worse than fourth in their lead-up run with Roman Emperor (2009) and Mongolian Khan (2015) both coming off fifths in the Rosehill Guineas, and Tavago (2016) improving on a sixth in the NZ Derby before his upset win at Australian Derby odds of $31.

Other Australian Derby betting tips include avoiding fillies who have a very bad record in the race and sticking to Sydney form with just three winners in over 30 years not coming off a Rosehill run last time out.

The other key tip is to look at the Group 2 Tulloch Stakes winner with all four champions from 2017-20 going on to take out the ATC Derby with Jon Snow (2017), Levendi (2018), Angel Of Truth (2019), and Quick Thinker (2020).

In 2023 Major Beel improved on a lead-up second seven days beforehand in the Tulloch Stakes to win the Australian Derby in an upset.

2024 Australian Derby Tips

Our exclusive Australian Derby 2024 betting tips on the three-year-old stayers to back and sack in the feature autumn staying showdown will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned.

• To Win: #1 Riff Rocket ($3 at time of publish) – BET NOW

A few things historically against the favourite here but Riff Rocket is going too good to ignore. Waller is yet to prepare an ATC Derby champ but think he’ll be taking home the trophy in 2024 with his VRC Derby hero from the spring. This prep the ultra-consistent gelding has been going great guns. Third two back in the Australian Guineas at Flemington where Veight ran second before his George Ryder victory last weekend. Rosehill Guineas win after that and is out to a trip now rock hard fit and ready to fire. Yet to race at Randwick or see a Heavy track, but on class alone is the one to beat. Wins.

Australian Derby Form Guide

The Australian Derby form guide shows the full field, barriers, jockeys, trainers and lead-up runs of the three-year-olds in the mix. Using the information to place a well-informed tip is essential and it is a great idea to look at horses that ran top three in the Rosehill Guineas last time out when doing the Australian Derby form.

Historical data dating back from 1983 shows that most Australian Derby winners jumped from barriers 1 – 8 with the most successful gates in that time being 8 with eight winners most recent Riff Rocket (2024).

Australian Derby Form Facts

• Just three fillies from 1983 – 2024 have won the Australian Derby.
• Rosehill is the best form to follow into the race with all but five of the Australian Derby winners (from 1983 – 2024) having come off a run at Sydney’s other best race track the latest being last start Australian Guineas winner at Flemington Hitotsu in 2022.
• The Rosehill Guineas – Australian Derby betting double is a popular one with punters and history shows Riff Rocket (2024) was the last horse to win both races.
• Barrier one has produced the most successful Australian Derby results in the past 30 years including three straight wins from 2014 – 2017.

2024 Australian Derby Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Australian Derby 2024 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Australian Derby Results

The Australian Derby results and finishing order are known when the race runs on Day 1 of Sydney’s The Championships on the first Saturday in April. Along with the Australian Derby winner the results reveal the winning trainer, jockey, margin and time as well as the starting prices of all the runners.

The most notable upset Australian Derby results in recent years include Major Beel ($31 in 2023), Explosive Jack ($16 in 2021),  Tavago ($31 in 2016), Ethiopia ($15 in 2012), and Nom Du Jeu ($26 in 2008).

Notable Australian Derby winners in the past 10 years include Waller’s first ATC Derby champ Riff Rocket (2024), history-making Hitotsu (2022), trainer Murray Baker’s fifth champion Quick Thinker (2020), Mongolian Khan (2015), Criterion (2014), It’s A Dundeel (2013), and Headturner (2006).

The late TJ Smith holds the training record having prepared nine Australian Derby winners throughout his career.

His daughter Gai Waterhouse won her first Australian Derby in partnership with Adrian Bott with Major Beel in 2023.

Past Australian Derby Winners

Recent Australian Derby winners and place-getters going back to 2000 are detailed in the table below.