2021 New Zealand Derby

The 2021 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which took place at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday 7 March 2021. It was the 146th running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Rocket Spade.[1][2]

Because of restrictions around public gatherings following an outbreak of COVID-19 in Auckland, the race was run a day later than its original date and with a limited audience of owners and Auckland Racing Club members.

Rocket Spade became the second consecutive son of champion sire Fastnet Rock to win the Derby, following on from Sherwood Forest in 2020.[3]

Bred by Sun Kingdom, Rocket Spade was sold for A$425,000 at the Inglis Sydney Easter Yearling Sale. He is owned by Hermitage Thoroughbreds, and trained by Lance O'Sullivan and Andrew Scott at Matamata. O'Sullivan was a two-time Derby winner as a jockey but had never previously won the race as a trainer, while Scott saddled Cut the Cake and Xcellent to win back-to-back runnings of the Derby in the early 2000s.[4]

Rocket Spade had shown promise in the spring but had been slightly off the very best three-year-olds, finishing fourth in the Group 2 Sarten Memorial and fifth in the New Zealand 2000 Guineas. But he returned as a different horse in the new year, rising to Derby favouritism with strong victories in the Auckland Guineas and Avondale Guineas.[5]

The Derby was run at a muddling speed, with several horses taking turns in the lead. The pace went right out of the race as they came down the side of the course, and the field bunched right up with less than six lengths covering the 14 runners. Rocket Spade had dropped back to last, but jockey Craig Grylls was happy to bide his time and stick to the inside part of the track.

A gap opened at the top of the straight and Rocket Spade made his move. Grylls drove him through that opening and he quickly surged into contention, with Milford and Frontman joining him in a three-way battle to the finish. Rocket Spade fought off those two rivals, reaching the line a short neck in front of Milford. Frontman finished another short head behind in third.

Rocket Spade made amends for Hermitage and the O'Sullivan/Scott team, who had finished fourth a year earlier with the Derby favourite Dragon Leap.[6]

The race time, 2:35.51, was the second slowest time recorded in Derby history.[7]