This Saturday’s Queensland Derby sees Solid Gold given a decent chance to become the first filly to win the race since Dariana in 2010.

The Kiwi caught the eye in the Rough Habit Plate a fortnight ago, swooping from last of the 16 runners to be beaten less than three lengths in fifth.

In Dariana’s day the Queensland Oaks was run the week before the Derby, and the Bart Cummings-trained filly was repaying her backers after disgracing herself seven days earlier, left at the post as a $3.80 Oaks favourite.

Two years earlier the Peter Moody-trained Riva San backed up from her surprise Oaks win to complete the Queensland staying classic double.

After taking a year off in 2020 for the pandemic, the Queensland Derby reappeared the following year as part of a reshuffled carnival.

Previously the Derby was part of a June “Super Saturday” alongside the Stradbroke, the J.J. Atkins and the Brisbane Cup. Since 2021 those three races have gone back a week while the Derby has come forward.

As a result, it’s now run a week before the Queensland Oaks.

At first, trainers with classic fillies responded by saving them for the Oaks rather than risk giving them a tough run in a harder race seven days earlier.

As a result, no filly ran in the Derby in 2021, 2022 or 2023. That changed in 2024, and the past two Queensland Derbies have included a total of five fillies, of whom two have started favourite – Autumn Angel (ninth) in 2024 and Belle Detelle (seventh) in 2025.

Interestingly, two of the lesser-fancied fillies have placed. Moonlight Magic ($26) ran second in 2024 and Chase Your Dreams ($21) third in 2025.

The only one of the five fillies to back up into the Oaks was Moonlight Magic, who ran 15th.