The sole Group 1 event on the Australian racing calendar this weekend will be Morphettville’s South Australian Derby 2012, the Races.com.au’s exclusive form guide and betting preview for which is detailed below.

Strike The Stars is out to give trainer Anthony Cummings back-to-back wins in the 2012 SA Derby on Saturday

Due to jump at 3:35pm (SA time) as Morphettville Race 7 this year’s edition of the $500,000 Group 1 South Australian Derby (2500m) features a full field of 16 starters.

After the early scratching of #13 Practiced from the Robert Hickmott stables the first of the four emergencies, Gai Waterhouse’s Tohunga, has earned a spot in the starting line-up.

Drawn ideally in barrier four with Tommy Berry aboard the ultra-consistent son of Zabeel is yet to finish outside the top three in their five starts to date and comes off back-to-back wins in Sydney.

Since earning a guaranteed start Tohunga has firmed into the $6 third favourite in the SA Derby odds at bookmaker.com.au.

The top two fancies are Melbourne raider Zabeelionaire ($4) coming off a Caulfield win and the Anthony Cummings-trained Group 1 performer Strike The Stars ($4) drawn in barriers one and three respectively.

Only one other SA Derby hope is under double-figures in the latest markets with Pelicano paying $8 for an upset, the Tony McEvoy-trained Court Of Jewels gelding looking to do it for the locals.

Pelicano certainly has the right form to hold off the interstate raiders having won their past three in Adelaide including their last over 2400m at Mrophettville Parks on April 21 by an easy two and a half lengths.

So will the South Australian Derby winner come from this fancied quartet?

Or can a roughie score an upset SA Derby result such as the Anthony Freedman-trained Cornell ($11) coming off a third in the Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes at the track over 2000m, Michael Kent’s Mossman gelding Backbone ($16) looking to improve on their distant fourth in the VRC St Leger (2800m) on a Heavy (8) Flemington track back on Anzac Day, or the Robbie Laing-trained Chairman’s Stakes winner Heaven’s Riches ($26)?

To help guide your South Australian Derby bets, and save you time scrolling through the race field and form guide, the Races.com.au crew has done the hard work for you.

After studying the form, betting history, facts and stats on the SA Derby below we have the need to know info on the race and it’s runners so you can bet online at bookmaker.com.au with confidence.

2012 SA Derby Form Guide Facts & Betting Stats

• Last year’s SA Derby winner was the Anthony Cummings-trained Shadows In The Sun who came off an unplaced run in Sydney and jumped form barrier 10 (of 16)
• Cummings is back out for successive wins this year with #1 Strike The Stars ($4)
• #8 Heaven’s Riches ($26) is drawn in last year’s winning barrier but with the last three emergencies failing to gain a start it will be #12 Niconoise ($67) coming into the gate
• On the other side barriers three, six and nine have produced no SA Derby winners in the past 30 years; the horses currently drawn in these gates with first emergency Tohunga (4) getting a start are #1 Strike The Stars (3), #19e Rock Musician (6) and #15 Haroldhaut (9) – with the last three emergencies out the horses in the hoodoo gates six and nine will change to #7 Backbone (7 into 6) and #8 Heaven’s Riches (10 into 9)
• #5 Pelicano ($8) boasts the highest Win Rate of the field by far with an impressive 71.43% followed by #17 Tohunga (40.00%) and #7 Backbone (37.50%)
• The best Place Percentage of the field belongs to #17 Tohunga (100.00%) followed by #4 Cornell (72.73%) and #5 Pelicano (71.43%)
• There are four last-start winners in the field this year with #3 Zabeelionaire (Eastern Bridge 3YO Plate, 2000m, Caulfield, 21/04/2012), #5 Pelicano (RST94 Handicap, 2400m, Morphettville Parks, 21/04/2012), #8 Heaven’s Riches (Group 3 Chairman’s Stakes, 2000m, Morphettville, 28/04/2012) and #17 Tohunga (BM65, 2000m, Kembla Grange, 21/04/2012)
• The only three horses with previous winning form at Morphettville are #4 Cornell (2-1-0-1), #8 Heaven’s Riches (1-1-0-0) and #12 Niconoise (3-2-0-0)
• Over the 2500m no horse has run and won – three have tried with #2 Sabrage (1-0-0-1), #3 Zabeelionaire (1-0-0-0) and #4 Cornell (1-0-0-0)

Stay tuned for the Races.com.au expert SA Derby tips and selections to be published shortly.

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2012 South Australian Derby Field & Form Guide

Morphettville Race 7 – 3:35pm – 05/05/2012

*Form Guide Credit – Ladbrokes.com.au

*All odds quoted are Fixed Win from bookmaker.com.au and subject to change