Rough Habit Plate
Australia | FEATURE RACE GUIDE
History
The Rough Habit Plate is Group 3 race for three-year-olds conducted by the Brisbane Racing Club.
The Rough Habit Plate was introduced in 1993 as a major lead-up race to the Queensland Derby and is named after the champion New Zealand galloper who won 11 Group One races including the Queensland Derby and two Stradbroke Handicaps in Brisbane.
The inaugural Rough Habit Plate was run as a handicap. It has been run set weight conditions since 1994.
The distance of the Rough Habit Plate has been 2000m since 2012 with the exception of 2013 when it was run over 2100m at Eagle Farm and in 2020 at 2200m. The distance has varied over the years from 2020m (1993-2001), 2200m (2002-2003/2020), and 2020m (2004-2011).
The 2022 race had to be run at Eagle Farm due to a huge rain incident meaning the race wasn't at Doomben.
The Rough Habit Plate became a Listed race in 1996 and has been Group 3 since 2006.
The Rough Habit Plate-Queensland Derby double has been won seven times by Tenor (1994), Dodge (1998), De Gaulle Lane (2001), Empires Choice (2007), Brambles (2012), Hawkspur (2013) and Dark Dream (2018).
The only filly to win the Rough Habit Plate has been Fillydelphia in 2011.
Damien Oliver rode the winner of the Rough Habit Plate five times between 1997 and 2008. Blake Shinn has ridden two recent winners of the Rough Habit Plate for trainer Chris Waller (Sadler's Lake/Mackintosh).
Waller also trained the 2013 winner Hawkspur (Jim Cassidy), Special Swey (Tyler Schiller in 2023), Tannhauser (James McDonald in 2024) and Imperialist (Tommy Berry in 2025).
The 2020 Rough Habit Plate, at 2200m, was effectively run as the Queensland Derby on Stradbroke day with the Derby abandoned due to coronavirus.
The 2026 Rough Habit Plate was run for $250,000.
Notable winners of the Rough Habit Plate include Tenor, Juggler, Marble Halls, Dodge, De Gaulle Lane, Bobs Boy, Belmonte, Empires Choice, Rockdale, The Hombre, Brambles, Amexed, Hawkspur, Sadler's Lake, Dark Dream, Dark Destroyer and Tannhauser.
The 2025 Rough Habit Plate was won by Imperialist from Deep Focus and King Of Thunder.
Previous Rough Habit Plate Winners
| Date | Horse | Jockey | WT | Trainer | BP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
IMPERIALIST
(NZ)
3G CHURCHILL (IRE) - DANCING HARE (AUS) FASTNET ROCK (AUS) |
TOMMY BERRY | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 14 |
|
|
TANNHAUSER
(AUS)
3G DUNDEEL (NZ) - LUQYAA (AUS) EXCEED AND EXCEL (AUS) |
JAMES MCDONALD | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 7 |
|
|
SPECIAL SWEY
(NZ)
3G SWEYNESSE (AUS) - MIA MAMMA (NZ) PER INCANTO (USA) |
TYLER SCHILLER | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 5 |
|
|
DARK DESTROYER
(NZ)
3G PROISIR (AUS) - ALL CAN PARTY (AUS) ALL AMERICAN (AUS) |
SAM WEATHERLEY | 57.0 | LANCE O'SULLIVAN & ANDREW SCOTT | 11 |
|
|
KING TOURBILLON
(AUS)
3G NICCONI (AUS) - RED'S IMAGE (AUS) DEHERE (USA) |
M RODD | 57.0 | P & W HULBERT | 11 |
|
|
BALLISTIC BOY
(AUS)
3G SMART MISSILE (AUS) - MAGICAL MIST (NZ) HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE) |
B STEWART | 57.0 | CHRIS ANDERSON | 12 |
|
|
PURPLE SECTOR
(NZ)
3C PINS (AUS) - EDEN VALLEY (NZ) ZABEEL (NZ) |
B SHINN | 57.0 | JOHN P THOMPSON | 1 |
|
|
DARK DREAM
(AUS)
3G ALL AMERICAN (AUS) - BUCHANAN GIRL (AUS) LION HUNTER (AUS) |
TIM CLARK | 57.0 | KERRY PARKER | 15 |
|
|
ZILONG
(NZ)
3G SHOCKING (AUS) - SHAMARDAL LUCK (AUS) SHAMARDAL (USA) |
O P BOSSON | 57.0 | S AUTRIDGE & J RICHARDS | 10 |
|
|
MACKINTOSH
(NZ)
3G PINS (AUS) - LOLLY SCRAMBLE (NZ) GENEROUS (IRE) |
B SHINN | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 4 |
|
|
SADLER'S LAKE
(AUS)
3G HIGH CHAPARRAL (IRE) - MINGSHAN (AUS) ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) |
B SHINN | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 11 |
|
|
AMEXED
(NZ)
3G PENTIRE (GB) - DANEX (NZ) DANASINGA (AUS) |
M RODD | 57.0 | TONY GOLLAN | 3 |
|
|
HAWKSPUR
(AUS)
3G PURREALIST (AUS) - MOLLYHAWK (AUS) CATBIRD (AUS) |
J CASSIDY | 57.0 | CHRIS WALLER | 2 |
|
|
BRAMBLES
(NZ)
3G SAVABEEL (AUS) - PRICKLE (NZ) PINS (AUS) |
B RAWILLER | 57.0 | PETER G MOODY | 1 |
|
|
FILLYDELPHIA
(AUS)
3F BIANCONI (USA) - EDEL VANESSA (AUS) ENCOSTA DE LAGO (AUS) |
L NOLEN | 54.0 | ROBERT HEATHCOTE | 7 |
|
|
THE HOMBRE
(AUS)
3G LUCKY OWNERS (NZ) - ATLANTA BELLE (NZ) DEFENSIVE PLAY (USA) |
J K RIDDELL | 56.0 | JOHN BARY | 8 |
Related News
Saturday’s Ladbrokes Doomben 10000 Day shapes as one of the standout meetings of Stradbroke Season, with a deep nine-race card and quality from top to bottom. At the time of writing the track is rated a Soft 7, and with showers forecast throughout the week, conditions are set to play a key role across the program.
A trip to Brisbane is on the cards for Different Gravy if he performs well at Flemington.
The Rough Habit Plate run at Doomben on Saturday is a traditional lead up to the Queensland Derby.
Having missed the South Australian Derby, Accidental Bid is Queensland bound for his next outing.
Gerald Ryan, the man who trained Snitzel, prepared the two latest stakes winners by the super stallion in successive races at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 3 Toyota Forklifts Frank Packer Plate won by Matias at Randwick on Saturday.
Matias boasts a string of classic performers in his pedigree, but is he a Queensland Derby prospect?
Champion hoop Zac Purton has credited his early days of riding in South East Queensland towards propelling him to become one of the great jockeys of his generation in the world.
