Ladbrokes Tip: Many fillies contest the WATC Derby off a WA Oaks run and it is a popular betting double each autumn

The W.A.T.C. Derby is a Group 2 Perth feature for three-year-old stayers run at Ascot Racecourse on a Saturday in mid to late April during the Perth Autumn Racing Carnival. Offering a lucrative $400,000 in total prize money, the set weights clash is contested over 2400m and is the sole Group status race on WATC Derby Day.

Run a week earlier is the fillies-only Group 3 WA Oaks (2400m) and the latest fillies to complete the WA Oaks – WATC Derby double are the Grant Williams-trained Delicacy (2015) who also went on to score the Group 1 Australasian Oaks (2000m) – Group 1 SA Derby (2500m) double in Adelaide and Tuscan Queen (2020).

In 2016 another Grant Williams-trained filly Arcadia Dream ran second in the WA Oaks before beating home the boys in the WATC Derby.

The latest edition of the WATC Derby ran on Saturday April 10, 2021 and saw another Grant & Alana Williams-trained favourite, Western Empire, salute for the punters. 

WATC Derby Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 10, 2021
• Track: Ascot Racecourse
• Distance: 2400m
• Conditions: 3YOs – Set Weights
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $400,000
• First Run: 1888

2021 WATC Derby Results

The complete WATC Derby Results 2021 and Finishing Order will be available below once the race is run and won on Saturday April 10, 2021.

• 1st: #1 Western Empire
• 2nd: #8 Temptacion
• 3rd: #3 Kerman Rock

The Grant & Alana Williams-trained gelding Western Empire ($1.30F) posted his fourth win on the trot when coasting to victory in the WATC Derby 2021 results with William Pike in the saddle.

WATC Derby Betting & Odds

WATC Derby betting markets are dominated by three-year-old local stayers with proven ability in Perth lead-up races over 2000m and 2200m at Ascot.

Fillies have a gun recent record in the Derby and the WA Oaks winner often features highly up the markets for the Group 2 run against the colts and geldings a week later. Tuscan Queen (2020) was the last filly and odds-on favourite ($1.40) in WATC Derby betting to salute for the punters.

The Melvista Stakes winner is also usually a top fancy in the WATC Derby odds and has a top place rate in the mile and a half feature. Regal Power (2019) and Western Empire (2021) are the latest WATC Derby winners to come off a lead-up win in the Melvista Stakes.

Western Australian Derby odds open a few weeks out from the race at nomination stage with all-in betting available before markets firm when the field is released the week of the race.

2021 WATC Derby Odds

The latest WATC Derby 2021 betting odds on the autumn’s gun three-year-old stayers facing off in the Perth classic will be detailed below so stay tuned.

The WATC Derby field attracts a collection of handy three-year-olds with staying potential or proven ability over similar distance races earlier in the Perth Autumn Carnival.

The line-up usually consists of handy locally-trained gallopers as opposed to the autumn’s best three-year-olds who are more likely to contest races like the Group 1 Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick earlier in April.

Aside from the fillies coming out of the WA Oaks the other key lead-up race youngsters come into the WATC Derby field via is the Listed Melivsta Stakes (2200m) held a fortnight earlier at Ascot Racecourse.

In 2016 Who Dat Singa won the Melvista Stakes before his second to Arcadia Dream in the Derby while the previous year in 2015 Boom Time won the Melvista Stakes before a third to Delicacy in the WATC Derby. In 2017 Gatting completed the Melvista Stakes – WATC Derby double, while in 2018 the WA Derby winner Action improved on a luckless fifth in the Melvista Stakes for his four length win in the Group 2. The Melvista – WATC Derby double was completed again by Regal Power in 2019 and Western Empire in 2021.

WATC Derby nominations are taken a fortnight before the race with the final field and barriers out early in the week of Derby Day.

WATC Derby winner Delicacy (2015) went on to win two Group 1 races in Adelaide after her Perth success. Photo Credit: Jenny Barnes.

2021 WATC Derby Field

The official WATC Derby 2021 Final Field & Barriers will be provided below as soon as released by Perth Racing the week of the race.

The 2021 WATC Derby final field is now out with 10 acceptors dominated by the widely-drawn favourite Western Empire (10) chasing his fourth win on the trot.

2021 WATC Derby Nominations

The early WATC Derby 2021 nominations are taken by Perth Racing in late February and will be published below once confirmed.

The 2021 WATC Derby nominations are now out featuring 43 hopefuls led by the in-form Western Empire for last year’s winning trainers Grant & Alana Williams.

The WATC Derby form guide features all the must know info for punters each year including saddlecloth numbers, barriers, jockeys, trainers and the lead-up form of the horses in the field. Checking for three-year-olds coming off a top three finish in either the WA Oaks or Melvista Stakes at the track two weeks earlier on the WATC Derby form guide is important.

Wide barriers are not an issue over the 2400m of the Derby, but it can be a good idea to look out for Grant Williams-trained three-year-olds on the form as he has a great strike rate in the race with in-form young guns.

The WATC Derby form was recently franked by the 2019 winner Regal Power who, after a win in that year’s Group 1 Railway Stakes and Group 2 Ted Van Heemst Stakes, traveled to Melbourne in the autumn of 2020 to run second in the Group 1 Australian Cup and win the $5 million The All-Star Mile.

2021 WATC Derby Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive WATC Derby 2021 Form Guide will be provided for punters the week of the race.

WATC Derby Tips

WATC Derby tips include looking for Perth’s top three-year-olds of the autumn with proven form at the Ascot track up to at least 2200m.

Backing the season’s WA Oaks winner and Melvista Stakes winner from the same meeting a fortnight prior to the Derby are also good tips when it comes to making WATC Derby selections.

2021 WATC Derby Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider WATC Derby betting tips 2021 and selections will be detailed below a day or two out from the event so stay tuned for the youngsters to back and sack in your Western Australian Derby bets this autumn.

• To Win: #6 Lunar Impact ($16 at time of publish) 

Western Empire is odds-on and obviously the three-year-old to beat, but in recent editions the WA Oaks form has been red hot and worth following into the Derby. David Harrison’s Real Impact filly Lunar Impact was at an absolutely enormous price (50/1) winning that last time out and gets the chance to frank the form. She’s down in weight, gets the run of the race from barrier one and is suited to the distance. Generous odds again for another boilover.

WATC Derby Results

The WATC Derby results in recent years reveal fillies have a good record in the Group 2 against the boys, and favourites also have a decent strike and place rate.

Notable WATC Derby winners from the past decade include Tuscan Queen (2020), subsequent The All-Star Mile champion Regal Power (2019), Delicacy (2015), Dreamaway (2011) and Guyno (2007).

WATC Derby Winners