"There ain’t no second prize," caterwauled Jimmy Barnes in 1984. In the unlikely event he was referring to the South Australian Derby, he was dead wrong.

This Saturday’s million-dollar Group 1 classic does carry a substantial second prize ($177,000), but that’s not the only reason connections of the runner-up will be entitled to leave Morphettville with a spring in their step.

Recent history suggests those associated with the SA Derby winner should savour the moment, as there’s every chance it will be all downhill from there.

Second past the post, on the other hand, could well be headed for greater glory.

For SA Derby winners, the golden age was 1991 (Shiva’s Revenge) to 2003 (Mummify). Of those 13 winners, only Markham (1997) failed to win a race subsequently — and he ran (an unlucky?) third behind Might And Power and Doriemus in that year’s Melbourne Cup.

Six of the other 12 (Subzero, Our Pompeii, Count Chivas, Showella, Pantani and Mummify) won Group 1s after taking the SA Derby. Four more won Group 2s.

Mummify was the best of them, winning six more races including an Underwood Stakes, Caulfield Cup, Caulfield Stakes and Singapore International Cup.

But from there the SA Derby honour roll makes less compelling reading. Of the 21 winners since 2004, just two (Russian Camelot and Explosive Jack) have won a Group 1 race thereafter.

Of the other 19, two went on to win Group 2s, one a Group 3 and one a listed race. Eight won non-stakes events after taking the derby. Seven failed to win another race including last year’s winner, Coco Sun.

Those 21 winners’ overall post-derby record is 285 starts for 19 wins (6.7%), 26 seconds and 21 thirds.

Meanwhile the past 10 SA Derby runners-up include three subsequent Group 1 winners — Warmonger (Queensland Derby), Ruthven (Queensland Derby) and $10 million earner Werther (Hong Kong Derby, Queen Elizabeth II Cup, Hong Kong Gold Cup, Champions & Chater Cup).