New Zealand’s Derby Impression at Karaka 2015

Kiwi horses come from a line of Derby successes, and continue today to dominate the classic staying contests at some of the world’s toughest racecourses.

Preferment (NZ) champion in the Group 1 Victoria Derby.

New Zealand has produced a total of 24 Derby winners in six countries over the past five seasons. In particular they have made a huge impression on Australia’s Derby records, with New Zealand horses winning 40% of Australian Derbies in the past five seasons.

Six of the last eight winners of the AJC/ATC Australian Derby have come from NZ, including Fiumicino (NZ) (Zabeel), Nom du Jeu (NZ) (Montjeu), Roman Emperor (NZ) (Montjeu), Shamrocker (NZ) (O’Reilly), Dundeel (NZ) (High Chaparral) and Criterion (NZ) (Sebring).

The most recent Derby victor to graduate from Karaka and write yet another chapter in the Kiwi-dominated Australian classic is Preferment (NZ) (Zabeel) in the 2014 Group 1 Victoria Derby.

He is the sixth Kiwi-bred horse to have won the Group 1 Victoria Derby since 2006, after Efficient (NZ) (Zabeel), Kibbutz (NZ) (Golan), Monaco Consul (NZ) (High Chaparral), Lion Tamer (NZ) (Storming Home) and Sangster (NZ) (Savabeel).

Preferment entered the Derby field a maiden, with his epic first win for trainer Chris Waller rewarding the colt with A$910,000 in prize money.

Prior to his Group 1 glory Preferment ran runner-up in the Listed Geelong Classic, with a win and four placings from his 7 starts to date.

The three-year-old is by champion New Zealand sire Zabeel and was purchased by Chris Waller at the 2013 Premier Sale for $190,000 from Cambridge Stud.

A half-brother by freshman sire So You Think to Preferment is entered in the 2015 Karaka Premier Sale at Lot 287 from Windsor Park Stud.

Other horses to graduate from Karaka who have gone on to win a Derby over the previous four seasons include Puccini (NZ) (Encosta de Lago), Brambles (NZ) (Savabeel), Sangster (NZ) (Savabeel), Shamrocker (NZ) (O’Reilly) and Shootoff (NZ) (Duelled).