Aeliana (NZ) Amazing in Australian Derby

A breathtaking five-length runaway in Saturday’s A$2m Group One ATC Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick saw Aeliana (NZ) (Castelvecchio) add her name to a long list of winners of the prestigious classic that were sourced from New Zealand’s National Yearling Sale.

Star Thoroughbreds paid $180,000 to buy Aeliana from Rich Hill Stud’s Book 1 draft at Karaka 2023. The Chris Waller-trained filly has now recorded four wins and three placings from 10 starts, earning over A$2.2m.

Aeliana became the 35th New Zealand National Yearling Sale graduate to win the Australian Derby, and the 10th Karaka graduate to join the honour roll since the year 2000.

Aeliana is only the 10th filly to win the Derby in a rich history of the race that spans 164 years. Three of the four fillies that have won it in the last 40 years are New Zealand National Yearling Sale graduates – Tristarc (NZ) (Sir Tristram) in 1985, Shamrocker (NZ) (O’Reilly) in 2011 and Aeliana in 2025.

An ever-improving sequence of spring and autumn form ensured that all eyes were on Aeliana in Saturday’s Derby. She had recorded back-to-back wins in the Group Three Reginald Allen Quality (1400m) in October and Group Three Carbine Club Stakes (1600m) in early November, then stormed home from the back of the field for a close second in the Group One Thousand Guineas (1000m) on November 16.

Aeliana returned to action in late February with a third in the Group Two Hobartville Stakes (1400m), followed by a fourth in the Group One Randwick Guineas (1600m) and a second in the Group One Rosehill Guineas (2000m), where she was beaten by a nose by the multiple Group One winner Broadsiding (Too Darn Hot).

The step up to the 2400 metres of the Australian Derby always looked like it would be right up Aeliana’s alley, and so it proved.

After a perfect run in fourth one off the rail, jockey Damian Lane kept a firm hold on Aeliana as she effortlessly cruised up alongside the tiring leaders approaching the home turn.

Lane pushed the button in the straight and Aeliana’s response was explosive. She blew her rivals away in the blink of an eye, opening up a winning margin of five and a quarter lengths over Firm Agreement (Yes Yes Yes).

Karaka graduates filled three of the top four placings, with Shanwah (NZ) (Too Darn Hot) crossing the line in third and Willydoit (NZ) (Tarzino) fourth.

Aelana’s spectacular change of gears in the home straight made a big impression on Lane.

“She was extraordinary,” he said. “She left the barriers well, just travelled great from the outset and felt a winner a long way out. She’s a super filly.”

Waller was similarly awestruck by Aeliana’s performance.

“She’s a great filly and she deserved this,” he said. “She was beaten a nose in the Thousand Guineas, beaten a nose by Broadsiding in the Rosehill Guineas – near-misses in two career-making races. So she really deserved a Group One win and she’s done it in style.

“That was a dominant win. I don’t get as emotional these days as I used to, but that was really special. I was waiting for something to come with us at the 300 metres, and you could see there was some horses doing their best, but the way she opened up was really special.”

Co-breeders Rich Hill Stud have offered two half-sisters to Aeliana at Karaka in the last two editions of the National Yearling Sale. A filly by Proisir was bought by Ciaron Maher Bloodstock and TFI for $250,000 from Book 1 of Karaka 2024, while Star Thoroughbreds secured another half-sister by Proisir for $300,000 during Book 1 of Karaka 2025 in January.

Vendor	Rich Hill Stud
Purchaser	Star Thoroughbreds (New South Wales)
Breeding	Castelvecchio – Temolie
Sale	Lot 582, Karaka 2023 Book 1, $180,000
Breeder	Nearco Stud Ltd & Rich Hill Thoroughbreds Ltd
Owner	Star Thoroughbreds Pty Ltd, Boeara Holdings, Mrs A M Howlett, Mrs K A Pailthorpe, Felgate Holdings, Paramount Racing, Mr R B T Aurisch, Mrs D M Handley, Mr W A Smith, Mr B K Hudson, EST JA Hudson, Forbson Group