Australian Derby Tips, Betting, Odds, Horses & More 2026

The Australian Derby, a set weights race at Randwick Racecourse will be held on Saturday 4th April 2026. The 2,400m trip forms part of Day One of The Championships, which takes place during Sydney’s Autumn Racing Carnival. It is one of the highlights of the Australian racing calendar and always features some of the best horses in the country.

Let’s check out some quick facts about the Australian Derby before digging deeper into the race! Take a look at the information here:

The Australian Derby at Randwick Racecourse promises to be an unforgettable day of racing at the prestigious Sydney racing venue. On any other Saturday, the Australian Derby would be the highlight of the meet, however not this time. 

The April meet at Randwick Racecourse boasts the TJ Smith Stakes, the Sires Produce Stakes and the storied Doncaster Mile. Strap yourself in racing fans! It is one of the best days for Group One races, that’s for sure.

As one of the oldest races on the New South Wales Group 1 circuit, the Australian Derby first raced in 1861! Since then, the Australian Derby has grown in reputation, stature and of course prize money. Benefiting from the $30 million pledged contribution by Racing New South Wales, the Australian Derby will offer its competitors a shot at the main share of a huge $2 million prize pool.

Considered as perhaps the premier three-year-old race in Australia, the 2,400m Australian Derby has a hidden prize for its victor. The winner of the Australian Derby will be exempt from the ballot for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes which offers its runners a share of the $5 million prize pot. 

So, all you racing enthusiasts and casual Australian racing fans, keep your Saturday free on April 4 so that you do not miss out on the Australian Derby, the TJ Smith Stakes, the Sires Produce Stakes and the biggest of them all, the Doncaster Mile. 

If you have the opportunity, head on down to Randwick Racecourse in the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney to view all four of these incredible races live. Also, as an added bonus, there is the Country Championships Final, which isn’t a Group 1, but still attracts a lot of attention! With all this high-quality racing, there’s no doubt that Randwick Racecourse is one of the top tracks in the country.

This page on the Australian Derby looks at the prize money distribution, the field of runners competing to be champion of the Australian Derby and our tips and analysis for three special runners. In addition to all of this, this Australian Derby page will examine the history of the race, so make sure OnlyRacing is your home of the Australian Derby.

Before we go any further, let’s check the breakdown of prize money that’s handed out to the top finishers! Check out all the details here:

It’s the best time, Australian Derby tips time! The team at OnlyRacing love providing their free horse racing tips each and every year for the Australian Derby. We also provide horse racing tips daily for other races, including Randwick tips, so if you’re looking for your fill of tips, you can check out our tips page.

We can’t wait to provide you all with our 2026 Australian Derby tips but we will have to wait until race week. Our experts prefer to wait until race week because this is when the final field is confirmed and we will have all the information required on all the runners that are expected to take part in the race.

We know you want tips, so we’ve left our 2025 Australian Derby tips up and we’ll replace them during race week in 2026:

Australian Derby Best Bet - Aeliana

It’s difficult for me to go past the current pre-race favourite, Aeliana, for the 2025 Australian Derby. The sole female in the race is currently going around with odds of $3.00, thanks to PlayUp. She is yet to claim a win so far this prep, but she has shown her class in all three runs so far.

Last time out was probably her best run when she finished second in the Rosehill Guineas and she probably would have won that if she got some clear space when it was needed. Despite the poor luck in that one, she still finished 0.1L behind Broadsiding. The rise to 2,400m looks great and she has a good record on Soft tracks (two wins from two starts).

Australian Derby Next Best - Willydoit

Willydoit is a class horse and I think he is capable of winning the Australian Derby on Saturday. The gelding comes across the ditch for this one and we last saw him winning the NZ Derby (a Group 1). Kiwi runners also seem to have a decent record in the race, winning six of the last 16 editions of the race.

You can pick up Willydoit for $3.70 right now at PlayUp, which puts him on the second line of betting. He has that X-factor that not many other horses possess and showed us the distance won’t be an issue in the NZ Derby last time out. Michael Dee sticks with Willydoit as well, so a lot is working in favour of the 3YO.

Australian Derby Best Roughie - Goldrush Guru

I don’t think you can count out Goldrush Guru for the Australian Derby on Saturday. At the moment, you can pick up Goldrush Guru for odds of $12 with PlayUp. The 2024 Victoria Derby winner is yet to clock in a win so far this prep, but I think there’s a lot of upside and the potential for improvement here is great.

He was tiring late last time out in the Rosehill Guineas after being raced too keenly. Jamie Melham does retain the ride and if she can nail the race tactics, Goldrush Guru should be in for a great result. He has a decent Soft record as well, at 3:1-1-0. Certainly, one to watch and has the potential to surprise a few.

Betting on the Australian Derby should be a fun experience. But for that to happen, you should really have some knowledge of what is involved throughout the process. If you are new to the world of horse racing betting, this is the perfect place for you as we go through all the different betting apps and markets available.

The Australian betting industry is saturated with countless bookies in operation. This is both a good and a bad thing. You’ve got so many choices and it’s important to make the correct one. This is where our comprehensive bookie reviews on all the best horse racing betting sites come in handy.

Our bookie reviews cover all the important pieces of information and make the decision of choosing a bookmaker as easy as possible. We also think it’s a good idea to potentially open multiple accounts with Australian betting sites. Having an account with more than one bookie means it’s as easy as possible to shop around for the best betting sites bonuses or better odds.

Some of the bookies that we think you should look into first for all your Australian Derby betting needs include:

• BetGalaxy
• GoldenRush
• PalmerBet

These three bookies are some of the best betting apps going around. Why? Well, for many reasons actually, but they are also known to have some of the best betting promotions going around. They all offer something a little different, so they are worth even just an initial look.

If three recommendations just aren’t enough for you, then we’ve still got you covered! All you need to do is scroll up to our “Betting Sites” section as we provide heaps more recommendations on who you should bet with come the Australian Derby.

We all want to see which runners will make an appearance in the 2026 Australian Derby but it isn’t currently race week, so the final field hasn’t been confirmed yet. While the final field isn’t confirmed, if history is anything to go by, we will see a highly-competitive field. There’s a lot of prize money on the line, as well as the glory of a Group 1 victory.

If the odds are available for the race, we will list them in our “Odds” section later on in this review. Checking out the current odds for the Australian Derby will give you an indication of which runners are likely to be featured in the field. It’s important to remember that as the field for the Australian Derby has been confirmed, the odds will constantly be changing, so be sure to keep an eye on that.

While we wait for the 2026 Australian Derby field to be confirmed, you can take a look at the runners who lined up in 2025:

In 2025, we saw a massive field of 18 runners confirmed for the Australian Derby. On top of this, we see five emergencies listed and we saw one pre-race scratching, with Red Aces not taking part in the race. This meant that the first emergency, Flying Argento, was granted a place in the field, while the other four emergencies didn’t.

Scratchings are a fairly common occurrence, this is true even for major races like the Australian Derby, where there is so much prize money on offer. Scratchings can happen for several different reasons, for example, due to the vet’s advice or if a runner is a dual acceptor in two Group 1s to be run on the same day.

When you are taking a look at the Australian Derby field something else to consider is the barrier draw. The barrier a runner jumps from can have a major influence on the success they have in the race. Certain barriers are more successful than others, so that’s important to keep in the back of your mind as well.

This is the part that we here at OnlyRacing love the most, the Australian Derby form guide! We love getting into the nitty-gritty of all the data and stats that make up this great race. Sifting through all this data can produce some pretty interesting patterns that help point us in the direction of a potential winner. 

So, if you are interested in betting on the Australian Derby, looking through the form guide is fairly important. But the good news is that we’ve done the heavy lifting for you and pulled out the little nuggets of gold that are important to know. Let’s get cracking on some of the key form indicators!

First things first, looking into the main lead-up races is important and for the Australian Derby, the best races are the Rosehill Guineas and the Tulloch Stakes. In the past 31 years, 16 winners of the Australian Derby have come from the Rosehill Guineas, including the 2025 winner, Aeliana.

While it’s common to see the Australian Derby winner come from the Rosehill Guineas, the winner doesn’t always have success in their lead-up race. In the same 31 years, only seven runners have completed the Rosehill Guineas - Australian Derby double. The 2025 winner, Aeliana, finished second in the Rosehill Guineas before winning the Australian Derby.

In terms of the Tulloch Stakes, four runners have won both this lead-up race along with the Australian Derby in the last seven years! So, you certainly shouldn’t be avoiding runners that are on the one-week turnaround.

It seems as though the Australian Derby is not a kind race on favourites. In the past 35 years, there have only been nine favourites that have gone on to win the Australian Derby. So, it can pay to look further than the favourite.

Over recent years, we have seen many runners with double-digit odds go on to win the race, including Major Beel who won in 2023 with odds of $31! In the 2025 edition of the Australian Derby though, the pre-race favourite Aeliana, dominated in the race, winning after jumping with odds of $2.25.

Along with avoiding favourites, it is also a good idea to avoid fillies in the Australian Derby. Looking back over the past 35 years, only Shamrocker in 2011 was good enough to win against the boys. However, we did see Aeliana win in 2025 as a mare.

Take this with a grain of salt though, as we usually don’t see many fillies compete in the Australian Derby in the first place. We usually see them head to the Australian Oaks, which is run the week after.

Like with many other Group 1s, it’s important to have form when coming into the Australian Derby. Throughout the past 25 years, there have only been three Australian Derby winners that have finished worse than fourth in their lead-up run, with Tavago being the latest in 2016.

The Australian Derby has been around for many, many decades now, this means there are heaps of amazing horses that have competed and won this great race. When it comes to Australian Derby horses, we’ve experienced great difficulty trying to pick just a handful of winners to feature in this section.

But tough decisions were made and we’ve narrowed the Australia Derby horses down! You may or may not agree with the horses we’ve chosen, but remember we can’t talk about every single horse here. Let’s take a look at the horses we’ve decided to feature here:

The Barb - 1866

Going way back in time here for one of the first-ever winners of the Australian Derby, The Barb in 1866! Along with the Australian Derby, The Barb also went on to win the Melbourne Cup the same year. He won the Sydney Cup back-to-back, in 1867 and 1868 and has been inducted into the Australian Racing Hall of Fame.

Poseidon - 1906

Like The Barb, Poseidon also won the Melbourne Cup the same year he won the Australian Derby. Along with those two Group 1 wins, Poseidon also won the Caulfield Cup (twice!) and the Victoria Derby. Poseidon became the first horse to ever win two consecutive Caulfield Cups. In the end, his career record stood at 33:19-4-3.

Phar Lap - 1929

Of course, we had to mention the 1929 winner of the Australian Derby, Phar Lap! His initial underdog status captured the hearts of many Australians at the time and gave them something to cheer about. His list of major wins goes on and on, but some of his most well-known included; the Melbourne Cup, the Victoria Derby and the Cox Plate.

Tulloch - 1957

Is there a race Tulloch didn’t win? Tulloch was so dominant in his time, that he even now has a Group 2 race named in his honour, the Tulloch Stakes, which is one of the key lead-up races for the Australian Derby! Inducted into both the Austr

Kingston Town - 1980

With a career record of 41:30-5-2 and almost $2 million in prize money, there’s no doubt that Kingston Town deserves a place on this list! Probably most famously known for winning three consecutive Cox Plates, some of the other Group 1 races Kingston Town has won included; the Spring Champion Stake, the  Winx Stakes, the George Main Stakes and the Tancred Stakes.

It's A Dundeel - 2013

Throughout his career, It’s A Dundeel won over $5 million in prize money, thanks to wins in races such as; the Spring Champions Stakes, the Rosehill Guineas, the Underwood Stakes and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes. In 2014, It’s A Dundeel was named the Australian Champion Middle Distance Racehorse as well as the New Zealand Champion Racehorse of the Year.

You’ll find the Australia Derby odds are available online before the race is due to take place. This means if you like, you can get your bets on earlier. All the top horse racing betting apps will list their “Before Noms” Australian Derby odds.

We think betting when it is listed at “Before Noms” is a good idea because if your horse doesn’t make the final field, you’ll get your stake back! If you bet closer to race day, you’ll find that there will be many more horse racing markets to choose from.

Our favourite bookie, PlayUp, has not released their odds for the Australian Derby just yet. Once they have released their odds, you’ll see heaps of markets available for you to choose from, but we recommend sticking with the bet type that you have a full understanding of.

As soon as the odds are released, you’ll notice that they are constantly changing. Changes in odds are a very common occurrence in horse racing and many factors contribute to a change. For example, another horse is scratched or a big bet for a certain runner has come in.

While we wait for the 2026 Australian Derby odds to be released, let’s take a look at all the 2025 odds here:

*Odds correct as of 03/04/2025.

To do justice to the incredible history of the Australian Derby, we will look at some of the records set at Randwick Racecourse by thoroughbred horses competing in the prestigious race. As well as this, we will look into some interesting moments across the 160+ year history of the Australian Derby.

With the Australian Derby, Randwick Racecourse has had some spectacular moments including:

• The fastest time for an Australian Derby champion at the current distance for the Australian Derby of 2,400m. 
  
  • This was set by the legendary Octagonal in 1996 when he was in the middle of his impressive winning streak. 
  • The time of 2 minutes 28.41 seconds has not been topped in the almost 30 years since!
• The largest winning margin seen in an Australian Derby race was almost 140 years ago when Trident won by a stupendous 10 lengths in the 1886 edition of the Australian Derby.
• The winningest jockey in the Australian Derby race is a name that only the most avid racing fans will be familiar with. 
  
  • Thomas Hales has claimed victory in six different Australian Derby races including the 1875, 1880, 1882, 1884, 1886 and 1887 Australian Derbies. 

Similarly to the 2015 Doncaster Mile, heavy track conditions forced the schedulers to move the 2015 Australian Derby a week back to Easter Monday on the 6th of April 2015. This is one of two instances of scheduling changes over the history of the Australian Derby.

The second scheduling change was the move of the Australian Derby from Spring to Autumn. This move came during the 1978 season meaning there was no 1978 edition of the Australian Derby!

There have been two recorded dead heats in the history of the Australian Derby. This includes the 1919 race which saw Artilleryman and Richmond Main share the main prize after a dead heat. The other dead heat occurred 16 years later in the 1935 Australian Derby where Allunga and Homer shared the spoils.

The Australian Derby takes place during the Autumn Racing Carnival, which is well-known as one of the biggest horse racing carnivals on the calendar. If you’re looking for more information on other races that take place during the Autumn Racing Carnival, be sure to check out our Group One races list for all the details!

So, who won the 2026 Australian Derby? Well, until the race has been run, we don’t know that information! But rest easy, knowing that we will bring you that information as soon as we can! The Australian Derby results are important to get right and we will list the full finishing order of all runners as well as a video replay.

The 2025 Australian Derby was taken out by the pre-race favourite, Aeliana, with the race pretty much over with 300m to go. The mare put the boys to the sword and won by 5.2L, with Firm Agreement the runner who finished closest to Aeliana. 

Shanwah wrapped up the final minor placings, finishing 5.3L off the pace after jumping from barrier four. In the end, the 2025 Australian Derby was run in a time of 2:29.80 and there was a total of 17.6L that split the first and last runners across the finishing post.

Take a look at the finishing order of all 18 runners in the Australian Derby:

You know where each runner finished in the Australian Derby, now it’s time to watch the full race replay. Check it out here:

There have been many epic Australian Derby winners over the years, there’s no doubt about that! Check out all of the more recent winners to claim victory in this Group 1 here:

Just one more section to go through before you can call yourself an Australian Derby expert! We’ve put together some common FAQs on the topic of the Australian Derby, so if you have any last-minute questions, you should find them here: