Top 5 Victoria Derby Winners
The Victoria Derby (2500m) is the major target for the three-year-old stayers at the spring carnival and has been won by some champion gallopers over the years. See who made our list of top 5 Victoria Derby winners since 1990.
In modern times, the feature race has been taken out by some outstanding gallopers.
Top 5 Victoria Derby winners.
1. MAHOGANY (1993)
One of the most versatile horses of the modern era, Mahogany streeted his rivals in the 1993 Derby before becoming one of the gun sprinters in his later years. He earned close to $4 million in prizemoney and was just pipped by Octagonal in the 1995 Cox Plate. One of the best ever horses for owner Lloyd Williams, other victories came in the Caulfield Guineas (1600m) and Australian Guineas (1600m), while he was a two time winner of the Lightning Stakes (1000m).
2. EFFICIENT (2006)
The 2007 Melbourne Cup (3200m) winner, Efficient burst onto the scene a year prior, working through the grades before picking up the Victoria Derby in his first preparation. He was a memorable winner of the race, starting as a well backed favourite with Michael Rodd weaving a passage from a seemingly hopeless position to score running away. Injuries thwarted him throughout his career but he loved the Flemington track and returned to claim the Turnbull Stakes (2000m) in 2009, his third and final Group 1 win of his career.
3. ELVSTROEM (2003)
After missing out in the Moonee Valley Vase (2040m) behind Kempinsky on Cox Plate day in 2003, Elvstroem turned the tables on that horse by claiming the Victoria Derby a week later. ‘Elvis’, as he was affectionately known, would go on to win the Caulfield Cup (2400m) the following year, knocking over Makybe Diva before racing well against the worlds best as a five-year-old. Another highlight was his win in the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free Stakes (1800m).
4. PREFERMENT (2014)
While not in the same class as Winx, Preferment is one of a number of star performers for the Chris Waller stable over the past decade and claimed the Victoria Derby in 2014 ahead of Nozomi. He broke his maiden in that race before going on to pick up three more Group 1 races, showing a clear liking for the Flemington track by claiming the Turnbull Stakes the following year, as well as the Australian Cup (2000m) in 2016 in slightly controversial fashion from Awesome Rock.
5. NOTHIN’ LEICA DANE (1995)
The Gai Waterhouse-trained galloper sneaks into the top 10 on the back of his performance in the 1995 Derby when he was able to hold off the fast finishing Octagonal in what was a vintage season of three-year-olds. The Gai Waterhouse-trained galloper backed up a few days later to finish runner up in the Melbourne Cup and was competitive in a number of the major races as a four-year-old.