Australian Derby Tips, Best Bets, Odds, Field & More 2026

The Australian Derby takes place right in the thick of Sydney’s Autumn Racing Carnival and is one of the most well-known Group One races on the calendar. There is a cool $2 million on the line for the Australian Derby each year, which always brings out some of the best to Randwick Racecourse.

Best Australian Derby Betting Sites

Before we take a deep dive into the world of the Australian Derby, we have some quick facts for you:

The Australian Derby is run on what is known as Day One of The Championships at Randwick Racecourse. Along with the Australian Derby, there is also the Doncaster Mile, Sires Produce Stakes and TJ Smith Stakes. The following week is Day Two of The Championships and features four Group Ones.

The $2 million in prize money is a massive drawcard; however, the Australian Derby forms part of the Triple Crown (for 3YOs). The Australian Derby is the final leg of the Triple Crown, with the other two races being the Randwick Guineas and Rosehill Guineas.

There is a long and rich history of the Australian Derby, which first took place in 1861. The race was reclassified as a Group One race in 1980, after being known as a Principal race up until this time. There have also been a couple of changes to the race distance. It was originally run at 2,414m, but was reduced to 2,400m in 1972.

Along with the distance, the Australian Derby has seen a few name changes throughout its history; however, since 1994, the race has been known as the Australian Derby. The winner of the Australian Derby is exempt from the ballot for the Queen Elizabeth Stakes, which is raced one week after.

There’s no shortage of Australian Derby tips available online, and we are your one-stop shop for all things horse racing tips. The Australianbettingsites.net.au team knows what it takes to tip winners, and we’ve been doing it for many years now. Along with our Australian Derby tips, you’ll find Melbourne Cup tips, Caulfield Cup tips and more.

We don’t stop there, though, as we also provide daily horse racing tips. So, no matter the type of tips you’re looking for, we can sort you out. Our daily tips and best bets include our three most confident plays of the day, and we go through all the key races before making our selections.

To make your Australian Derby betting experience a more enjoyable one, we have a few tips and tricks for you:

• Set a Limit - It’s easy for things to get a little out of control when betting. So, it is a good idea to set yourself a limit before you start betting for the day. Most betting sites even offer a deposit limit, which you should consider utilising.
• Read the Form Guide - After the final field is confirmed, the form guide will be available. The form guide holds important pieces of information like runner comments, recent results, career records and more.
• Try Multiple Bookies - Different horse racing betting sites have slightly different offerings, so by having an account with multiple bookies, you can more easily take advantage of different features, promotions and more.
• Find Value Odds - Another advantage of using multiple bookies is that you might be able to lock in better odds. Different bookies can sometimes offer different prices for the same runner/ market, so you can get your hands on more value.

For horse racing, there are a few betting sites that stand out from the crowd. In Australia, new betting sites are popping up all the time, so there’s always something new to check out. In our years of experience, we have found a few that are worth your time if you’re a horse racing bettor.

If you’re the kind of person who likes to try new things all the time, you’ll be pleased to know that there are plenty of different Australian Derby betting markets to choose from. While it is exciting to try something new, it’s a good idea to have a basic understanding of what’s involved.

We break down all the most popular bet types for the Australian Derby here:

With $2 million on the line, as well as the prestige of winning a Group One, we always see some of the best racehorses compete in the Australian Derby each year. If you’re looking for field details, you’ll have to wait until a couple of days out from the race, as this is when the final field (and barrier draw) is finalised.

These details are an important piece of the puzzle because they mean you can start looking into the form guide. The form guide provides crucial information like recent results of runners, career records and more. You should also see if there are any key form indicators, as they can present patterns and point you in the direction of the next potential winner.

For the latest Australian Derby, you can see the final field right here:

Why settle for less if there’s the potential for more out there? We find that different bookies may offer different odds for the same runner/ market, and all it takes is a little shopping around. Shop around, and you could lock in a higher payout potential. 

While you may feel like the difference in odds isn’t worth the effort, you should know that it can all add up pretty quickly. This is especially the case if you’re a big or regular bettor. Also, if you like to bet on roughies, the difference between the lowest and highest odds is usually much greater.

One of the ways you can speed up the process when looking for the best Australian Derby odds is to use an odds comparison tool. There are a few of these tools available online, and they are a good starting point, providing odds across multiple bookies.

Sometimes, they won’t include the odds across all the bookies you like, so a bit of manual work may be required, but they usually do feature all the most popular bookies in the country. If you’re looking for bets beyond the fixed win and place markets, odds comparison tools may not be able to help.

It was a good day for all those favourite backers out there as the 2025 Australian Derby was won by the heavy $2.25 favourite, Aeliana. The Chris Waller-trained mare beat out the boys and finished a whopping 5.3L ahead of the field, after jumping from barrier two.

Coming in a distant second was the Annabel and Rob Archibald-trained Firm Agreement, who was going around with odds of $21 to take out the Australian Derby. Filling in the final minor placing was Shanwah, who jumped from barrier four and finished 5.3L behind the winner.

See where every runner in the latest Australian Derby ended up in the table here:

See how the race played out for every runner in the latest edition of the Australian Derby here:

Some of the best 3YOs have won the Magic Millions 3YO Guineas, and we take a look at the recent history of winners here:

With a race as prominent as the Australian Derby, it’s only natural that people have a lot of questions. We have gone through some of the most common questions people have about the Australian Derby and answered them in this section.