2026 Australian Derby Betting Tips
Can anyone beat Observer in the Australian Derby? We would argue that the horse is a spot of value despite being favourite. Ciaron Maher is a crack trainer who has saddled the runner to four consecutive successes leading into this encounter. The victory in the Australian Guineas was achieved by half a length and came after a win at Caulfield.
The latter win came in the Autumn Stakes where the horse travelled beautifully over seven furlongs on good ground. There has also been a Victoria Derby success at Flemington in early November, with the winning run starting at Moonee Valley. The fact that the charge has found different ways to succeed bodes well for the horse.
Arcora is an interesting contender, with the horse being sent off as the 60/1 outsider at Flemington before finishing a narrow runner-up to Observer. The runner didn't quite make the same impression at Caulfield over a shorter distance, although the three-year-old should be able to build on an outing at Caulfield where a runner-up spot was landed in the Autumn Classic.
Green Spaces could also be in strong contention when it comes to the final throes of the Australian Derby. Back in November, the horse was able to score by three lengths at Newcastle and the horse was then pitched into very competitive tussles at Rosehill and Randwick. There were decent efforts at big odds and there might be more to come.
Who Are the Leading Contenders for 2021 Australian Derby?
Aegon is trading at the shortest horse racing betting odds to win the 2021 Australian Derby and there’s been little to dislike about this three-year-old New Zealand-bred horse who has triumphed on both occasions so far.
Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman have a potential superstar on their hands and he was recently seen winning the City Tattersalls Club Hobartville Stakes at Rosehill Racecourse, although that was over a distance of seven furlongs and the Derby will be a more stamina-sapping exercise.
Aegon did win the Al Basti Equiworld Dubai 48th New Zealand 2000 Guineas and hasn’t really put a foot wrong although this is an obvious step up in class for a horse that will come up against tougher opponents considering the prize at stake.
One of these rivals is set to be Cherry Tortoni and the three-year-old has bags of experience for his age, with the Patrick Payne-trained horse having recently lined up in the Kennedy Australian Guineas where the runner finished a narrow second to Lunar Fox.
Considering the latter was sent off at 300/1, we can say that Cherry Tortoni is in good form this season, having previously finished fourth in a competitive race at Flemington.