Since 1981, the Derby has been won by several horses who went on to earn Hong Kong Horse of the Year honors including Football, Co-Tack, Yuno When and River Verdon.

It is sponsored by BMW since 2013, and since then the Hong Kong actor and martial artist Donnie Yen has been appointed as the "BMW Hong Kong Derby Ambassador" for promoting the event and presenting the awards to the winning units.

[1][2] The racing distance of the Hong Kong Derby has varied over the years.

From 2000 to present, the distance has been 2000 metres, with the starting point in front of the Sha Tin grandstand.

† designates a Triple Crown Winner of the Four-Year-Old Classic Series.