WATC Derby 2024

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.

2019 WATC Derby winner Regal Power pictured in Melbourne winning the 2020 The All-Star Mile. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

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 best three-year-olds out of the WATC Derby will continue onto the Perth Summer Racing Carnival at the end of the year targeting the Group 1 Railway Stakes (1600m). Western Empire (2021) is the last horse to do the WATC Derby – Railway Stakes double in the same year, also finishing second in that year’s Group 1 Kingston Town Classic (1800m) – now known as the Northerly Stakes.

The latest edition of the WATC Derby ran on Saturday April 13, 2024 at Perth’s Ascot Racecourse and was won in a big performance by A Lot Of Good Men ($5.50). 

2024 WATC Derby Results

The complete WATC Derby Results 2024 and Finishing Order will be available below once the race is run and won on Saturday April 13, 2024.

• 1st: #2 A Lot Of Good Men
• 2nd: #5 Buckets Ridge
• 3rd: #3 Lord Vampi

A Lot Of Good Men ($5.50) relished a step-up to 2400m putting in a big run to turn the tables on Buckets Ridge and beat the Melvista winner home in the 2024 WATC Derby results.

2024 WATC Derby Odds

The latest WATC Derby 2024 betting odds on the autumn’s gun three-year-old stayers facing off in the Perth classic will be detailed below so stay tuned.

WATC Derby Race Info

• Date: Saturday April 13, 2024
• Track: Ascot Racecourse
• Distance: 2400m
• Conditions: 3YOs – Set Weights
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $400,000
• First Run: 1888

WATC Derby Betting

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), Western Empire (2021) and Alaskan God (2022) are the latest WATC Derby winners to come off a lead-up win in the Melvista Stakes.

Western Empire ($1.30 in 2021) was the last favourite in WATC Derby betting to salute for the punters.

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.

WATC Derby Field

The WATC Derby race 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, Western Empire in 2021 and Alaskan God in 2022.

In 2024 the Melvista quinella of Buckets Ridge and A Lot Of Good Men also finished one-two in the WATC Derby results but in reverse order with A Lot Of Good Men saluting in the Group 2.

WATC Derby nominations are taken the Tuesday of race week with the final field and barriers out the next day.

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

2024 WATC Derby Field

The official WATC Derby 2024 Final Field & Barriers will be provided below as soon as released by Perth Racing the week of the race.

The 2024 WATC Derby field features a quality line-up of local stayers led in betting by Listed Melvista Stakes winning Pride Of Dubai gelding Buckets Ridge for Grant & Alana Williams.

2024 WATC Derby Scratchings: 

• #1 Zipaway (2) – withdrawn due to a hind foot abscess.

2024 WATC Derby Nominations

The early WATC Derby 2024 nominations are taken by Perth Racing the Tuesday of race week and will be published below once confirmed.

The 2024 WATC Derby nominations close on Tuesday the 9th of April, 2024. 

WATC Derby Form Guide

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, travelled 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.

In 2023 the WATC Derby third place-getter She’s Fit travelled to Adelaide for her next start and franked the form with an Australasian Oaks second.

2024 WATC Derby Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive WATC Derby 2024 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.

2024 WATC Derby Tips

Our Ladbrokes’ insider WATC Derby betting tips 2024 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 Alaskan ($13 at time of publish) – BET NOW

With Zipaway scratched, our tips for the WATC Derby have undergone a shake-up along with the field! Things have opened right up and going for an upset now with Alaskan looking a forgotten runner with decent lead-up credentials to suggest he’s up to the challenge. The Neville Parnham-trained son of Playing God has previous winning form here and comes via the right stepping stones. Two back ran second to Lord Vampi in the Listed JC Roberts (1800m) a length beaten at 20/1. Fourth last time out here two lengths back in the Melvista over 2200m. Winner of that, Buckets Ridge, is the new Derby favourite. Think he’ll get the distance, drawn well and Chris Parnham stays aboard. Can surprise.

WATC Derby Results

The WATC Derby race 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 Western Empire (2021), Tuscan Queen (2020), subsequent The All-Star Mile champion Regal Power (2019), Delicacy (2015), Dreamaway (2011), and Guyno (2007).

Recent WATC Derby Winners

Past WATC Derby winners and place-getters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.