New Zealand Derby: Difference between revisions

The New Zealand Derby is a set-weights thoroughbred racehorse event for three-year-old horses run over 2400 m at Ellerslie Racecourse, Auckland Racing Club, New Zealand's premier racecourse. It is held on the first Saturday in March, as the opening day of Auckland Cup Week. Since it was run for the first time as the ARC Auckland Derby Principal race over 12F in 1875, there have been 130 runnings of the race and it has become New Zealand's most prestigious three-year-old race.

It is currently run for a purse of NZ$700,000.

The inaugural running of the Derby was in May 1875, when racing was held at Ellerslie Racecourse for the first time. Just three horses took part, of which one was withdrawn before the start and another failed to complete the course, leaving Toi to finish the race and become the first Derby winner. In 1887 it was renamed the ARC Great Northern Derby Principal race over 12F

The race kept the name Great Northern Derby, while Riccarton Racecourse in Christchurch held the New Zealand Derby, regularly attracting better horses than the Riccarton equivalent, until 1973 when the Great Northern Derby was renamed the New Zealand Derby. Riccarton was instead given two 1600 m races for three-year-olds in place of its Derby, the One Thousand and Two Thousand Guineas.

After its May debut, the race was soon moved to New Year's Day, and then finally to Boxing Day. It continued to be run on this day for many years and became a popular traditional social occasion for Aucklanders until it was moved to the first day of the new Auckland Cup Week in March. The first March running of the Derby in 2006 was won by Wahid, from the stable of Allan Sharrock in New Plymouth.

Many of New Zealand's most famous racehorses feature on the Derby winners' list, including Kindergarten, Balmerino, Desert Gold, Mainbrace and Bonecrusher.