The Group 1 South Australian Derby is the premier three-year-old staying race held at Morphettville Racecourse during the month of May. It is part of Adelaide’s Autumn Racing Carnival, with the South Australian Derby, sometimes shortened to SA Derby, held one week before Adelaide’s biggest race, The Goodwood.
Three-year-old colts, geldings and fillies may compete in the South Australian Derby. It is run at Set Weights with colts and geldings carrying 56.5kg in the race, while fillies carry 54.5kg over a race distance of 2500m.
In 2019, the lone filly in the race was victorious; the David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig-trained Qafila was a 3.4-length winner at odds of $14. She had run fourth in the Australasian Oaks (2000m) one week earlier. Delicacy was a filly that captured the Oaks-Derby double in 2015 for trainer Grant Williams.
As of 2019, the South Australian Derby carries $500,000 in prizemoney. The winner receives $320,000 and the race pays down to 10th, with horses that finish between sixth and 10th receiving $5,000.
There is a long history when it comes to this race and it dates all the way back to 1860 when first run at Thebarton Racecourse. The race was known as The Thebarton Derby and won by Midnight in a time of two minutes and 54 seconds. Between 1869-75 the race was not held before returning in 1876. This would happen multiple times with the race not being run between 1885-89, 1942-43 and 1983.
The race has been also been held over 2400m and 2600m during its history.
Several South Australian Derby winners have gone on to win Australia’s most prestigious race, the Melbourne Cup. Back in 1880, The Assyrian was victorious in the South Australian Derby. He would then capture the Melbourne Cup in 1882 as a five-year-old for trainer John Savill. 1961 winner Gatum Gatum for trainer Graeme Heagney would do the exact same as The Assyrian by winning the Melbourne Cup two years later, in 1963.
Perhaps the most famous winner of the South Australian Derby belongs to popular grey gelding Subzero. His career record doesn’t do justice just how famous Subzero is – he raced 48 times for six wins and 11 minor placings. He won the 1992 South Australian Derby before taking out the Adelaide Cup (3200m) which was also a Group 1 race back then. Later in the year, Subzero would defeat Veandercross in the Melbourne Cup. He would race another 20 times without winning another race.
Mummify is another famous winner of the South Australian Derby. Trained by Lee Freedman and ridden by Danny Nikolic, Mummify was a two-length winner of the 2003 edition after being sent out as the $2.10 favourite. Later that year, Mummify would win the Underwood Stakes (1800m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m). The gelding would also win the Yalumba Stakes (2000m), now known as the Caulfield Stakes and Singapore Airlines International Cup at Kranji. Unfortunately Mummify would meet a tragic end after running third in the 2005 Caulfield Cup. The gelding shattered the sesamoid bone of his near foreleg and was humanely euthanised.
