We will have expert tips for the 2020 Darley Classic available, where Santa Ana Lane is the current race favourite.

There have been a few changes in the history of the Darley Classic. Formerly known as the VRC Sprint, the Darley Classic was changed from a handicap to weight-for-age to align with the Global Sprint Challenge.

It was also moved to the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival to better align with the challenge, which also includes the Lightning Stakes, Chairman’s Sprint Prize, King’s Stand Stakes, Diamond Jubilee Stakes and the July Cup among others.

Also accommodating for the Coolmore Stud Stakes earlier in the carnival, it gives the sprinters another chance to win a Group 1. 

It’s currently run down the Flemington straight and has been won by Australia’s best sprinters, including two-time winner Black Caviar. The track record has also been broken on multiple occasions since 1991 and it’s one of the popular viewing races during the carnival.

It has spawned many international winners, including Takeover Target, All Silent, Buffering and Black Caviar, proving that it belongs in the Global Sprint Challenge.

Punters should look for the older sprinters when making their selections for the Darley Classic. Despite being an attractive race for three-year-old runners, no three-year-old has won since 1999 when Pharein scored.

Only three four-year-olds have won since 2000 with Delectation, Black Caviar and Mental all scoring at that age. The older and more-seasoned sprinters have the advantage in November and they have been hardened by recent racing in the top grades.

The three-year-old entrants are usually coming off a tough Coolmore Stud Stakes and are unable to match it with the internationally-competitive types.

The hot favourites have a good record in the Darley Classic. Nine short-priced favourites have won since 1983, including Black Caviar (1.10) and Miss Andretti (1.45). The shortest-priced favourite to suffer defeat was Chautauqua when running second at 1.90 and Apache Cat finished eighth as the odds-on favourite.

Chautauqua is one of Australia’s greatest sprinters but could manage only second on two occasions, in back-to-back years (2014-2015). 

There are two major lead-up races to the Darley Classic. The Group 1 Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley and the Group 2 Linlithgow Stakes held on the on Derby Day.

The Coolmore Stud Classic is a major lead-up race for the entrants but it hasn’t produced much in the way of Darley Classic form throughout its history.

The Manikato Stakes is run around a tight-turning track at Moonee Valley, which shouldn’t be ideal down the Flemington straight in the Darley Classic, but Terravista, Buffering and Mental all used the Manikato as their lead-up races.

Form out of the Darley Classic has included wins at the Royal Ascot Carnival and also in the Group 1 Winterbottom Stakes in Perth later that year.