Two illicit clears out for a hollow victory in the Gr.2 Legacy Lodge Waikato Guineas (2000m). Photo Credit: Race Images – Kenton Wright

Waikato Guineas winner Two Illicit is the sole filly in the $1 million Vodafone NZ Derby, which will be run at Ellerslie on Saturday.

Just two fillies have won the Derby in the past 25 years, but they have been sparsely represented over that period and most have run well.

Silent Achiever (2012) and Habibi (2013) won in successive years and another 10 fillies have finished in the first three since Popsy’s Derby triumph in 1993. Two other fillies – Tidal Light (1986) and Our Flight (1982) – have won since the race was transferred to Ellerslie, in 1973.

Three fillies ran in Silent Achiever’s Derby and all finished in the top five and 12 months later Habibi and Fix produced a female quinella. Rising Romance was runner-up the following year, Capella finished fourth in 2016 and Danzdanzdance, the last filly to run, finished third in 2018. Three other fillies have run fourth in the last decade.

A filly finished in the first three in the Derby for five successive years from 1997 and Clear Rose ran second in 1995.

This all suggests that a good quality filly is invariably competitive.

Roger James, who trains Two Illicit, also has a proven record in the race with fillies. He trained Silent Achiever, who was the dominant three-year-old of her year, was in partnership with Jim Gibbs when Tidal Light won and prepared Sixty Seconds to run third in 2001.

Two Illicit, who has had four wins and two placings from six starts, will give her sire, Jimmy Choux, a chance to become the first horse in the modern era to win a New Zealand Derby and then sire a winner.

Two Illicit and top sprinter Bostonian have been the major winners to date for Jimmy Choux, who was a decisive winner of the 2011 Derby. He also won the Two Thousand Guineas and Rosehill Guineas and was runner-up in a Cox Plate.

Nine fillies have won the Australian Derby with Shamrocker (2011), Research (1989), Tristarc (1985) and Rose Of Kingston (1982) – being successful since 1980.

Three fillies have won a Kentucky Derby, the most recent being Winning Colors (1988) and Genuine Risk (1980).