South Australian Derby 2024

Ladbrokes Tip: Locally trained 3YOs have the best record in the SA Derby.

The South Australian Derby is a Group 1 race for three-year-old staying types held at Morphettville Racecourse in mid-May during the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival. Contested a week after the Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) for the fillies and Group 1 Robert Sangster Stakes (1200m), the set weights clash takes place over 2500m and offers $1 million in stakes for the first time in 2024.

2022 SA Derby winner Jungle Magnate. Photo: Jenny Barnes.

It is one of the major Morphettville races during the season and locally-trained horses have a top record in the event.

The latest edition of the South Australian Derby took place on Saturday May 4, 2024 as part of the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival with stakes increased to $1 million and was won by the Tony & Calvin McEvoy-trained Australasian Oaks third placed filly Coco Sun ($5).

2024 South Australian Derby Results

The official South Australian Derby 2024 results and finishing order will be available below once the race is run and won on Saturday May 4, 2024.

• 1st: #15 Coco Sun
• 2nd: #7 Warmonger
• 3rd: #3 Air Assault

Coco Sun ($5) was excellent backing-up off a third place run in the Australasian Oaks stepping up in distance to beat home the boys off an inside run thanks to star hoop Jamie Kah in the 2024 South Australian Derby results.

2024 SA Derby Odds

The autumn racing odds and South Australian Derby 2024 betting markets will be available below once open so you can back your favourite three-year-old stayers at the right price in the  Adelaide Group 1 autumn racing feature so stay tuned.

SA Derby Race Info

• Date: Saturday May 4, 2024
• Track: Morphettville Racecourse
• Distance: 2500m
• Conditions: 3YO – Set Weights
• Status: Group 1
• Prize Money: $1,000,000
• First Run: 1860

South Australian Derby Betting

South Australian Derby odds are usually led by the best performing three-year-olds coming off 2000m runs at the track in either the Chairman’s Stakes or the Australasian Oaks.

Coco Sun (3rd in 2024) was the last filly out of the Australasian Oaks to beat home the boys in the SA Derby on the quick back-up.

Favourites have an outstanding recent record in the race with nine winning 2006 – 2024. The latest favourites in SA Derby betting to salute are Explosive Jack ($4 in 2021), Russian Camelot ($2.90 in 2020), Leicester ($4 in 2018), and the odds-on top elect Delicacy ($1.90 2015).

Previous experience at Morphettville often helps determine the South Australian Derby betting markets, as do those tested in previous Group 1 races either in Adelaide or interstate like the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) in Sydney the month before. Explosive Jack (2021) was the last horse to do the ATC Derby – SA Derby double.

South Australian Derby Field

The South Australian Derby race field attracts the season’s top three-year-old stayers from both locally and interstate. It is mainly made up of Adelaide-trained hopefuls however that come out of lead-up races including the Group 3 SA Chairman’s Stakes (2000m) in late April and for the fillies the Group 1 Schweppes Oaks (2000m) the Saturday prior. Jungle Magnate (2022) was the last three-year-old to complete the SA Chairman’s Stakes – SA Derby double.

SA Derby winner Howard Be Thy Name (2016) went on to run fourth in the Queensland Derby in Brisbane. Photo Credit: Jenny Barnes.

The South Australian Oaks – Derby double was last completed by Delicacy (2015), while in 2016 Howard Be Thy Name completed the Chairman’s Stakes – SA Derby double before stablemate Leicester (2018) repeated the feat for trainer Darren Weir two years later.

Following a run in the South Australian Derby field many gallopers may head to Brisbane for the Group 1 Queensland Derby (2400m) at the end of May, an event the 2021 SA Derby champ Explosive Jack ran third in.

South Australian Derby nominations close the week before the race, before final SA Derby acceptances are taken the Tuesday of race week revealing the field of hopeful young stayers.

2024 South Australian Derby Field

The official South Australian Derby 2024 final field and barriers are released by the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC) the Tuesday of race week and will be provided below.

Last Saturday’s surprise Chairman’s Stakes winner Bold Soul heads the 2024 South Australian field and betting markets at Morphettville this weekend.

2024 South Australian Derby Nominations

The early South Australian Derby 2024 nominations are taken by the South Australian Jockey Club (SAJC) on Friday the 26th of April, 2024 and will be provided below.

The Chris Waller-trained filly Ahuriri coming off big two length VRC St Leger win heads the thirty-one South Australian Derby 2024 nominations this autumn.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

South Australian Derby Form Guide

The South Australian Derby form guide provides all the must know information before punters place a bet including the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up form of the three-year-olds in the mix.

Wide barriers are not something to shy away from with plenty of good horses getting the job done from barrier 10 or wider including Explosive Jack (10 of 16 in 2021), Volatile Mix (barrier 11 in 2017), Kidnapped who saluted from the outside barrier 16 of 16 in 2010, as did both Tails Of Triomphe (2005) and Testafiable (2006).

Over the years the South Australian Derby form has stacked up in better staying races in Melbourne during the spring including in 2003 when Mummify won the SA Derby – Caulfield Cup double before running third in the following year’s Sydney Cup and the 2005 Caulfield Cup.

Count Chivas (1995) and Shivas Revenge (1991) both won the SA Derby before placing second in the iconic Melbourne Cup in their respective years, while Subzero (1992) completed the double winning that spring’s ‘race that stops a nation’.

More recently the 2020 SA Derby champion Russian Camelot went on to run top three in his next four Group 1 starts in Melbourne including winning the Underwood Stakes and finishing third in the Cox Plate to Sir Dragonet that spring.

SA Derby Form Facts

• Delicacy (2015), Qafila (2019) and Coco Sun (2024) are the only fillies since 2008 to beat the boys in the SA Derby results.
• The Chairman’s Stakes is the key SA Derby form race to follow and Howard Be Thy Name (2016),  Leicester (2018) and Jungle Magnate (2022) are the latest to do the double.
• Favourites in SA Derby betting have a gun record in the race over the past decade with the latest to salute being Russian Camelot ($2.90 in 2020) and Explosive Jack ($4 in 2021).
• Jockey John Allen rode four of the seven SA Derby winners from 2016-2022.

2024 South Australian Derby Form Guide

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

South Australian Derby Tips

The favourites have a strong record in the race so taking the top fancy in betting is a good South Australian Derby tip.

Fillies have only won four times since 1999, so taking the colts and geldings that are high up the markets coming out of a run in the Chairman’s Stakes in Adelaide is a great SA Derby betting tip.

2024 SA Derby Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive South Australian Derby 2024 betting tips and exotic selections will be detailed below the week of the race so check back for the three-year-olds to back and sack in your Morphettville punting.

• To Win: #16 Ahuriri ($8.50 at time of publish) – BET NOW

Good odds on offer for this Chris Waller-trained filly who is out to hand the stable their first SA Derby success. This in-form daughter of Almanzor will stay all day as she showed in her effortless 2.25 length romp home in the VRC St Leger at Flemington over 2800m on ANZAC Day. Drops to the 2500m now and will be flying. Some others are a query at the distance, she is not. Down in weight, Craig Williams comes aboard in another plus, and she looks forgotten getting track conditions to suit here. Can surprise.

South Australian Derby Results

South Australian Derby race results have been dominated by the favourites in recent years with the most notable upsets scored by Shadows In The Sun ($20 in 2011) and Tails Of Triomphe ($50 in 2005).

The most famous recent South Australian Derby winners include Explosive Jack (2021), Russian Camelot (2020), Delicacy (2015), Rebel Raider (2009), Mummify (2003), and Subzero (1992).

Coco Sun (2024) was the last South Australian Derby winning filly.

Past South Australian Derby Winners

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