The 2026 New Zealand Derby was a Group I horse race which was run at Ellerslie Racecourse in Auckland, New Zealand, on 7 March 2026. It was the 151st running of the New Zealand Derby, and it was won by Road To Paris.
The 2026 New Zealand Derby was part of Champions Day, which also featured the Group One Sistema Stakes, Group One New Zealand Stakes, Group Two Auckland Cup, Group Two Al Basti Equiworld Dubai Classic and the $4 million NZB Kiwi.
Road To Paris is trained by Roger James and Robert Wellwood at Cambridge. He became the seventh Derby winner for James - the most for any trainer since Christchurch's New Zealand Derby and Auckland's Great Northern Derby were combined to form the modern-day New Zealand Derby in 1973.
Road To Paris is raced by his Queensland-based breeders Ron and Judi Wanless.
Road To Paris is a member of the first southern hemisphere three-year-old crop sired by the multiple Group One-winning Galileo stallion Circus Maximus, who stands at Windsor Park Stud. Circus Maximus is the first stallion to sire a New Zealand Derby winner in his first three-year-old crop since Stryker with Rangipo in 2016.
Although he was unraced as a two-year-old, Road To Paris was always held in high regard by James and Wellwood. His trainers labelled him a New Zealand Derby prospect while he was still a juvenile.
He made his debut over 1200 metres at Ellerslie in October, finishing seventh, then scored a maiden victory over 1400 metres at Avondale on November 6.
James and Wellwood stepped him up to Group Three level for the Wellington Stakes in just his third start. He took control in the straight and was almost certainly heading for victory when he shied away from the winning post and dislodged his jockey Masa Hashizume.
Road To Paris got his campaign back on track in January with a sixth in the Levin Classic and two second placings including the Avondale Guineas.
Sent out as a $9.70 third favourite for the New Zealand Derby on March 7 and with George Rooke in the saddle, Road To Paris finished strongly out of the pack to win by a length over his stablemate Autumn Glory. The third-placed Geneva finished another three-quarters of a length behind the first pair.
Road To Paris again showed his inexperience in the closing stages of the Derby, shifting inwards and impeding Autumn Glory and Geneva, but post-race protests by the connections of the placegetters were unsuccessful.
Further details of the winner, Road To Paris:
Early-season appearances prior to running in the Derby.
Subsequent wins at Group 1 level by runners in the 2025 New Zealand Derby.