The Victoria Derby is an Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

n Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse race

Thoroughbred horse racing is a worldwide sport and industry involving the racing of Thoroughbred horses. It is governed by different national bodies. There are two forms of the sport: Flat racing and National Hunt racing...

 held annually on the first day of Melbourne's

Melbourne

Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...

 annual Spring Racing Carnival

Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival

The Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival is the name of a Melbourne, Australia Thoroughbred horse racing series held annually during October and November .-The Carnival and its status in the wider community:...

, Victorian Derby Day, held at Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse

Flemington Racecourse is a major horse racing venue located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is most notable for hosting the Melbourne Cup, which is Australia's richest horse race. The racecourse is situated on low alluvial flats, next to the Maribyrnong River...

 in Melbourne. A Group One

Group One

Group One or Group 1 is the term used for the highest level of Thoroughbred and Standardbred stakes races in many countries. Group One races may be run under handicap conditions in Australia but in Europe weight-for-age conditions always apply. Races may be also restricted to age groups or a...

 race for three-year-old horses, it is raced on a left-handed turf

Grass

Grasses, or more technically graminoids, are monocotyledonous, usually herbaceous plants with narrow leaves growing from the base. They include the "true grasses", of the Poaceae family, as well as the sedges and the rushes . The true grasses include cereals, bamboo and the grasses of lawns ...

 course at a distance of 2,500 metres (1.553 miles). It marks the beginning of Melbourne Cup

Melbourne Cup

The Melbourne Cup is Australia's major Thoroughbred horse race. Marketed as "the race that stops a nation", it is a 3,200 metre race for three-year-olds and over. It is the richest "two-mile" handicap in the world, and one of the richest turf races...

 Week with Victoria Derby Day traditionally held on the Saturday prior to Melbourne Cup Day, which is the first Tuesday in November every year. Total prize money for the race is A$1,500,000 and $10,000 trophy.

Originally run at a distance of 1½ miles, in 1972 it was changed to 2,400 metres to conform to the metric system

Metric system

The metric system is an international decimalised system of measurement. France was first to adopt a metric system, in 1799, and a metric system is now the official system of measurement, used in almost every country in the world...

. However, the new distance brought potential danger from too short a run from the start to the first turn and as such it was changed again in 1973 to its present distance of 2,500 metres.

While the major focus of Victoria Derby Day is the stars of the turf (since it is the only race day in Australia where each and every race has Group Status), in recent years the annual 'Fashions on the Field' celebrations have shared the limelight. 'Derby Day' has become 'Men's day' in the Fashion Stakes, and every year increasing numbers of fashionable gentlemen competing for prizes and a spot in the social columns. Traditionally black and white are worn on this day by women and morning suits by men. The flower of the day is a blue cornflower

Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus is a small annual flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Europe. "Cornflower" is also erroneously used for chicory, and more correctly for a few other Centaurea species; to distinguish C...

. In 2006, a crowd of 129,089 broke the Flemington attendance record previously held by Melbourne Cup day 2003.

History

First run in 1855, the first three editions were won by fillies but the last time a filly won was in 1923 when Frances Tressady claimed victory. In its history, only one horse has ever won the Victoria Derby more than once. Fireworks accomplished the feat, winning back-to-back runnings in November 1867 and again in 1868 after a change of the race date to New Year's Day. Between 1931 and 1956 geldings were not permitted to compete.

Three horses have won their first race with a win in the Victoria Derby. In 1883, the New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

-bred horse Martini Henry won the Victoria Derby at his first start. Fire Oak in 1990 and Redding in 1992 are the only other maidens to win the Victoria Derby.

In 2005 Clare Lindop became the first female jockey to ride in the Victoria Derby and became the first female to win in 2008. Gai Waterhouse

Gai Waterhouse

Gai Waterhouse is a Scottish-born, Australian resident horse trainer, businesswoman and a former actress-Career:...

 became the first woman to train a winner when Nothin' Leica Dane won the 1995 running.

Records

Time record: (at current 2,500 metres distance)

• 2:33.60 - Star Of The Realm (1991)

Most wins:

• 2 - Fireworks (1867, 1868)

Most wins by a jockey

Jockey

A jockey is an athlete who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing.-Etymology:...

:

• 8 - Bobbie Lewis (1900, 1901, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1914, 1921, 1927)

Most wins by a trainer

Horse trainer

In horse racing, a trainer prepares a horse for races, with responsibility for exercising it, getting it race-ready and determining which races it should enter...

:

• 8 - James Scobie : (1900, 1901, 1903, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1927, 1937)

Winners of the Victoria Derby since 1993

Year	Winner	Jockey	Trainer	Owner	Time
2011	Sangster	Hugh Bowman	Trent Busuttin	K D Greenlees et al	2:40.33
2010	Lion Tamer	Hugh Bowman	Murray & Bjorn Baker	P H P Bayly	2:46.43
2009	Monaco Consul	Corey Brown	Michael Moroney	G G Syndicate Ltd (Mgr: G Peterson) & O G Glenn	2:41.68
2008	Rebel Raider	Clare Lindop	Leon Macdonald	B H Perks, T J Robertson, R B Fairclough, Dr P C Goel et al.	2:36.90
2007	Kibbutz	Craig Williams	David Hayes	Terry Henderson syndicate et al.	2:40.92
2006	Efficient Efficient (horse) Efficient is a grey Thoroughbred racehorse gelding, bred in New Zealand, who won the 2007 Melbourne Cup, ridden by Michael Rodd, and the 2006 Victoria Derby....	Michael Rodd	Graeme Rogerson	Lloyd J. Williams et al.	2:38.35
2005	Benicio	Noel Callow	Lee Freedman Lee Freedman David Lee Freedman is a prominent Australian racehorse trainer. In partnership with brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, he has been a prolific winner of Australia's major races in past 20 years, with four Golden Slippers, four Caulfield Cups, two Cox Plates, and five Melbourne Cups,...	Freedman brothers et al.	2:37.08
2004	Plastered	Paul Harvey	Lindsay Smith	Jenella Harvey et al.	2:35.49
2003	Elvstroem Elvstroem Elvstroem was an outstanding bay Thoroughbred racehorse, by world champion sire Danehill from the former champion three-year-old filly, Circles of Gold.-Dam:...	Damien Oliver	Tony Vasil	Elvstroem Syndicate	2:38.99
2002	Helenus	Steven King	Leon Corstens	Joseph & Thecla Xipell	2:40.54
2001	Amalfi	Damien Oliver	Peter Moody	Ron & Judy Wanless	2:34.63
2000	Hit The Roof	Glen Boss Glen Boss Glen Boss is an Australian jockey, considered a champion, who is best known for riding Makybe Diva to victory in three consecutive Melbourne Cups - 2003, 2004, and 2005.-External links:***...	David Hall David Hall (horse trainer) David Hall is an Australian horse trainer.The son of trainer, Joe Hall, he obtained his trainer's license in 1988 at Morphettville...	Bob Scarborough	2:39.02
1999	Blackfriars	Greg Childs	Peter Hayes	Robert Sangster Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster was a British businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was British flat racing Champion Owner five times and his horses won many major races, including two Epsom Derbys, four Irish Derbys, two French Derbys, three Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes and a Melbourne...	2:36.30
1998	Arena	Larry Cassidy	John Hawkes	Jack Ingham John H. Ingham John Horace Ingham AO was a leading Australian businessman and co-founder of the largest Thoroughbred horse racing and breeding operation in Australia....	2:35.16
1997	Second Coming	Greg Childs	Michael Moroney	Paul Moroney et al.	2:36.37
1996	Portland Player	Greg Hall	Lee Freedman Lee Freedman David Lee Freedman is a prominent Australian racehorse trainer. In partnership with brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, he has been a prolific winner of Australia's major races in past 20 years, with four Golden Slippers, four Caulfield Cups, two Cox Plates, and five Melbourne Cups,...	David A. & Helen Hains	2:35.20
1995	Nothin' Leica Dane	Shane Dye Shane Dye Raymond Shane Dye, born , in the township of Matamata New Zealand and established himself as a champion apprentice jockey in New Zealand, and, moving to Australia in the late-1980s, he quickly established himself as one of the country's best riders...	Gai Waterhouse Gai Waterhouse Gai Waterhouse is a Scottish-born, Australian resident horse trainer, businesswoman and a former actress-Career:...	Dalton Hodge Ecurie Syndicate	2:36.50
1994	Blevic	Rod Griffiths	David Hayes	Robert Sangster Robert Sangster Robert Edmund Sangster was a British businessman, thoroughbred racehorse owner and breeder. He was British flat racing Champion Owner five times and his horses won many major races, including two Epsom Derbys, four Irish Derbys, two French Derbys, three Prix de l'Arc de Triomphes and a Melbourne...	2:35.70
1993	Mahogany Mahogany (horse) Mahogany was an Australian thoroughbred who raced in the mid-1990s. He was aimed at the three-year-old staying events, where he won the Victoria Derby and the Australian Derby. But as an older horse he usually was restricted to sprint races.The notable exception was the 1995 W.S. Cox Plate where...	Greg Hall	Lee Freedman Lee Freedman David Lee Freedman is a prominent Australian racehorse trainer. In partnership with brothers Anthony, Michael, and Richard, he has been a prolific winner of Australia's major races in past 20 years, with four Golden Slippers, four Caulfield Cups, two Cox Plates, and five Melbourne Cups,...	Kerry Packer Kerry Packer Kerry Francis Bullmore Packer, AC was an Australian media tycoon. The son of Sir Frank Packer and Gretel Bullmore, the Packer family company owned controlling interest in both the Nine television network and leading Australian publishing company Australian Consolidated Press, which were later...  & M/M L. J. Williams	2:34.90