2008 Queensland Derby

The Queensland Derby is a three-year-old set weights race over 2400 metres. The race is held in early June each year at Eagle Farm during the Winter Racing Carnival.

Race Type: Group 1 3YO SW
Distance: 2400m
Track: Eagle Farm Racecourse, Brisbane, Queensland

The first Queensland Derby was run in 1868 at Gayndah where it was won by Hermit. In 1969 a horse called Zambesi won the race ridden by a local boy called William Harris who was only ten years old. This makes him the youngest jockey in the history of Australian racing to win a race that now has Group 1 status. In 1970 the race was run twice – once at Gayndah and once in Brisbane and the horse Grafton won both. In 1871 it was moved permanently to Brisbane.

The Queensland Derby has had Group 1 status since 1980. The race carries prizemoney of $500,000 and it is Set Weights over 1600m with a 2.5kg allowance for fillies. It was conducted in November until 1972 and was moved from spring to the Winter Carnival in 1973. It was not run during the war years 1942-1945 as Eagle Farm was taken over by the army.

The late Tommy Smith trained 12 winners of this race – Dorset Downs (1991), Our Planet (1982), Kingston Town (1980), Cheyne Walk (1976), Analie (1973), Silver Sharpe (1970), Dark Briar (1966), Bahram Star (1965), Travel Boy (1959), Tulloch (1957), Castillo (1963) and Forest Beau (1951). It is hard to imagine this record will ever be broken. Jockeys who have won the Queensland Derby three times each are Jim Cassidy, Mick Dittman and George Moore.