Howden Victoria Derby Day 2026: Racing highlights and results

Marco Storms to emphatic Derby success

Sydney form reigned in this year’s Victoria Derby with Stormy Marco making light of a seven-day back-up to claim Saturday’s first $3 million running of the 2500-metre Group 1 Flemington.

The Chris Waller-trained colt posted his first win at the highest level when he carried champion rider James McDonald to a dominant win in Australia’s oldest Classic.

It came seven days after the son of Wootton Bassett ran fourth in the Group 1 Spring Champion Stakes (200m) at Randwick and McDonald jokingly liked the win to another of his feature success at Australia’s most famous racecourse.

“It was just like I was on Verry Elleegant again, it was so smooth,” he said.

“I don't think he's like your typical VRC Derby horse, but he's got class. He's a sharp horse. I thought he could have been a Guineas horse, you know, so it shows the ilk we hold him in, he’s done a good job.”

McDonald, of course, partnered Verry Elleegant to a brilliant win in the 2021 Melbourne Cup.

Stormy Marco is not in her league, but he justified the faith of punters, who sent him out the $4.40 favourite, with the second win of his eight-start career.

He surged to the front at the 300m and dashed clear to score a two-length win over $101 shot Cold Shower with the first filly to contest the Derby in 36 years, Quick Finish ($21), 1-1/4 lengths away third.

“I just want to keep it smooth, I wanted him to relax. I had Zahra (Mark, on Vallice) to my inside and he was saying, ‘sleep baby, sleep’,” McDoald said.

“That's all we did, the two of us, and he had superior form.”

Lady Shenandoah lands another Group 1

Any thoughts that the best of Lady Shenandoah was behind her has been shattered with the Chris Waller-trained mare winning her second Group 1 win in two weeks.

After returning to winning form in the Group 1 Toorak Handicap (1600m) at Caulfield, Lady Shenandoah added another Group 1 win to her tally claiming the Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.

It was Lady Shenandoah’s fifth Group 1 from her seven overall wins from 19 starts.

Sent out the $1.85 favourite under James McDonald, Lady Shenandoah scored a 1-½ length win from Concord Connie ($6.50) with Idle Flyer ($18) a further 1-¾ lengths away third.

Lady Shenandoah gave Chris Waller a second Group 1 success on Victoria Derby Day after he, and McDonald, combined to win the feature race with Stormy Marco.

Charlie Duckworth, representing the Waller stable, said the stable had never lost faith in Lady Shenandoah despite her being winless in a number of starts prior to her Toorak success.

“You could have easily written her off prior to last start,” Duckworth said.

“She had been running well but just wasn’t winning.

“She was running in the hardest of hard races, from Everest’s to running against Autumn Glow and it’s not easy territory that she was in.

“It shows how competitive these Group 1 races are and prior to today she had won four Group 1’s and $5 million and two weeks and a day ago, you would have said, is she really having a crack if you were outside the camp.

“These races are so special to owners, to punters, to us.”

The Next Episode provides Maher with Coolmore success

Trainer Ciaron Maher put his neck on the line when he went to $2.8 million to purchase The Next Episode on the Gold Coast as a yearling.

However, that purchase price has been vindicated following The Next Episode’s victory in the Group 1 Coolmore Stud Stakes.

Victory in the Coolmore Stud Stakes stamps The Next Episode with potentially a $30 million stallion price tag, although Maher believes there is still more to come from the colt.

Sent out the $3.20 favourite under Mark Zahra, The Next Episode scored by a head from St Gotthard ($4) with Mbube ($26) a half-neck away third.

Maher and the team behind the trainer never questioned The Next Episode, despite some less than flattering trials in Sydney before his Danehill Stakes win, and the trainer was able to absorb the pressure.

“When you have a colt with a record like he does, these are the stallion making races and you have to perform on the big days,” Maher said.

“I was confident he was ready and the team, Jack and everybody down here, in Sydney, Brisbane, have done a super job.

“You want the pressure. That’s what you get up in the morning for.

“You hope you have a horse good enough to feel the pressure.

“He’s a ripper and I think he’s only going to get better as he gets older.”

De Armas puts forward Oaks claims in Wakeful

The Chris Waller team has some thinking to do after the imposing victory of De Armas in the traditional VRC Oaks lead-up at Flemington.

Prior to the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m) on Saturday, Waller was suggesting Your Colour and Tharwa were likely to be his representatives in the Group 1 Oaks (2500m) at Flemington on Thursday.

But the stable may need to rethink that strategy with Tharwa back in ninth spot and Your Colour finishing 11th.

Waller only had his first Oaks runner last year with The Pearls finishing second.

De Armas, sent out the $3.60 equal favourite under Blake Shinn, appreciated the solid tempo in registering a 1-¼ length win from Girl With A Pearl ($61) with the other $3.60 favourite Icelady holding on for third, a further 1-½ lengths away, after setting the speed.

With Waller in Sydney for the Golden Eagle meeting, stable representative Darren Beadman said the stable had some thinking to do, but the future was bright even if they did not contest the Oaks.

“She still did a few things wrong,” Beadman said.

“She laid out, she didn't really get around Caulfield the other day, but the big track here obviously suits her.

“She's obviously entered for the Oaks on Thursday, so Chris and the team will see how she pulls up, but OTI have got a very handy filly on their hands.”

McDonald rides Derby Day winners for Fun

James McDonald has dominated Melbourne Week like no other rider in recent years and he made a familiar start to this year’s Carnival at Flemington on Saturday.

The champion rider sealed another Derby Day quartet with victory on Flying For Fun in the $240,000 Group 3 Asahi Super Dry Sprint (1100m) that rounded out the nine-race card.

It gave him three wins in a row, following Group 1 wins on Stormy Marco and Lady Shenandoah in the Victoria Derby and Empire Rose Stakes, following earlier success on Private Eye in the Group 2 Rising Fast Stakes (1200m).

Flying For Fun’s win atoned for a second placing in the same race last year for the Bryce Heys-trained mare and McDonald was thrilled to get her home for him.

“It's great for him, he trains a small team, does a really good job and he presented her immaculately,” he said.

“When I hopped on her today she was ready to go. I was exposed a little bit early to my liking but nothing really was taking us into the race. She just did a marvellous job.”

Private Eye adds to bankroll

No horse at Flemington on Derby Day had earned more money than McDonald’s first winner, Private Eye, and the ageless Sydney veteran added to his bankroll with another Group 2 success.

The Joe Pride-trained nine-year-old logged his ninth win, at start No 57, when he powered to a 1-1/2-length win over Cote Atlantique in the $500,000 The Damien Oliver (1400m).

The $300,000 winner’s cheque took his career earnings to $13,365,840 and trainer Joe Pride, who was in Sydney for Golden Eagle Day, was not surprised to hear that the $9 chance, who was a $65,000 Magic Millions Adelaide Yearling Sale purchase, got a big cheer returning to scale.

“I bet he did, he’s one of those horses,” Pride said.

“He’s popular isn’t he, and for good reason. He’s been a fantastic horse for a long time.”

Waller Roars again in Carbine Club

The Carbine Club Stakes has long been the customary start to the Derby Day program, but a new element has been added to the tradition in recent years.

Chris Waller winning the 1600m Group 3 has become just as common as it’s place on the card.

The champion Sydney trainer won the race for three-year-olds for the third year in a row, and sixth overall, when The Roaring defeated stablemate Unhinged in the $500,000 event

The Autumn Sun colt’s win, the first in his three-start career, comes on the back of wins to Aeliana and Panova the last two years, which followed Waller’s initial victory with Kermadec (2014) and wins to Comin’ Through (2016) and Fangirl (2021) in the interim.

Each of Waller’s previous winners have gone on to win at the highest level and top jockey Damian Lane, who celebrated his first win in the Carbine Club Stakes, said The Roaring Sun also has plenty of upside.

“It's Cup Week and you need nice opportunities to get on the board – this bloke is one of them,” Lane said.

“He's a real talent and he gave me a nice ride.

“When you look at him, you can see he's a brute, but just race sense-wise and mentally he's still got some improvement to come.”

The Roaring Sun, who started $6.50, scored by a length from $2.90 favourite Unhinged, who was a long head clear of Conquer The World ($5).

Ambitions high after bounce-back win

It didn’t go to plan for Regal Ambition at her first crack at Group 1 level, but the daughter of Palace Pier scored a consolation win in The Vanity.

The Lindsay Park filly, who carries the Vic Husslers colours of The Racing League, was an emphatic winner of the 1400-metre Group 3 event for three-year-old fillies, which she started $2.90 favourite.

It came after a third placing as favourite in the Thousand Guineas, when she was game in defeat on a track that didn’t suit her get-back racing style, and co-trainer Ben Hayes said the disappointment of Guineas Day had been put behind them.

“It’s exciting to get a nice result,” Hayes said.

“TRL do a lot for racing, they get a lot of the smaller people in and they've got a massive group of ownership and we also syndicated her down as well so to have a great filly like her win today, win a Group 3 on Derby Day is special.”

The Vanity has only recently been added to the Derby Day card and Regal Ambition is in her good company with her win, which came 12 months after superstar mare Sheza Alibi recorded her first win for Peter Moody and Kathrine Coleman in the race.

Lindsay Park double up with Ndola

Lindsay Park wasn’t done with the winner’s room after The Vanity, earing another trip there a couple of races later thanks to reliable straight-track performer Ndola.

The Justify five-year-old made it three wins from four starts over the famed ‘straight six’ with a gritty win in the $240,000 Group 3 Rising Fast Stakes.

The $11 chance’s short-head victory over Swenesday was Ndola’s second Stakes success up the Flemington straight this year, following Listed Santa Ana Lane Stakes (1200m) victory in July, and continued a long association between Lindsay Park and Devitt and Gordon families.

Ndola races under their famous and blue and pink diagonal stripes colours, which were carried to Victoria Derby success by Kings High in 1988.

“We've been in partnership with the Gordons and the Devitts for a long time, so to get a big winner like that on Derby Day for them (is great),” Ben Hayes said.

“They do a lot of breeding and it's just so great for them so we're so thrilled and what a result.”