The SA Derby is a Group 1 race for three-year-olds that takes place annually in early May at Morphettville racecourse in Adelaide, South Australia during the Adelaide autumn racing carnival. The race is run over a distance of 2500 metres under set weight conditions and is worth $350,000 in prizemoney. The 2011 SA Derby was won by Shadows In The Sun from Echoes Of Heaven with Lalla Rookh third.
The SA Derby is the premier staying race for three-year-olds during the autumn racing carnival in Adelaide and the 2500m distance of the race provides a true staying test for those 3yo gallopers engaged. The set weight conditions of the race gives a distinct advantage to the best three-year-old performers in the race.
Competitive three-year-old colts & geldings who contested the Gr3 Chairmans Handicap the previous week at Morphettville will likely tackle this event, while Fillies who tackled the Gr1 Australasian Oaks earlier in the carnival may decide to tackle this race and take on the males.
Echoes Of Heaven (2nd in 2011) finished third in the Chairmans Stakes before running second in this race, while Zarita (2008) was the last filly good enough to win the SA Derby and took out the Australasian Oaks & SA Derby double in the process.
The SA Derby generally attracts above average three-year-olds and over the years has provided a Caulfield Cup winner & placegetter with Mummify (2003) winning the 2003 Caulfield Cup and then finishing third the following year in 2004.
Count Chivas (1995) and Shivas Revenge (1991) both went on to run second in a Melbourne Cup after winning this race, while Subzero (1992) was good enough to win our most famous race the same year he won the SA Derby.
In recent times Rebel Raider (2009) scored an upset win in the 2008 AAMI Victoria Derby at Flemington before thrashing his rivals in this race the following autumn.
Shadows In The Sun (2011) ran third in the Gr3 Frank Packer Plate over 2000m at Randwick in Sydney prior to winning this event and recent SA Derby winners include Kidnapped (2010) and Rebel Raider (2009).
2011 SA Derby result
1. $21.00 Shadows In The Sun 56.5 B Melham
2. $6.50 Echoes Of Heaven 56.5 C Newitt
3. $31.00 Lalla Rookh 54.5 Ms C Lindop
Then followed
4. $6.50 Kittens 54.5 M Rodd
5. $4.80 Backgammon 56.5 M Zahra
6. $81.00 Stratocracy 56.5 Ms L Cropp
7. $21.00 Condelago 56.5 C Lever
8. $21.00 Precious Lorraine 54.5 D Dunn
9. $26.00 Bertucci 56.5 Z Purton
10. $101.00 Rialya 56.5 S Cahill
11. $61.00 Heez Born Lucky 56.5 R Mc Leod
12. $26.00 Sky Raider 56.5 S Price
13. $13.00 Jeter 54.5 P Gatt
14. $3.30 Right Of Refusal 56.5 M Walker
15. $18.00 Weighted 56.5 C Brown
16. $13.00 Integration 56.5 S King
Margins: 3/4 len, 3/4 len Time: 2:39.88
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