Matt Damon’s horse was well beaten in the Australian Derby at Royal Randwick on Saturday, and the Hollywood megastar chose not to attend to watch his nag with two local champions.
Damon stars in the three-year-old Are You Kidding alongside former Test cricketer Steve Smith and retired AFL great Tom Hawkins.
Unfortunately for The Odyssey and Oppenheimer star, Are You Kidding was well beaten in 11th place, finishing more than 19 lengths behind the winner, Green Fields.
Damon was front and center in the Golden Slipper at Sydney’s Rosehill racecourse last month after Are You Kidding was withdrawn from the race.
The 55-year-old has developed a quiet connection with Australian racing in recent years, with Aussie jockey Daniel MacPherson also part of the bay gelding’s ownership group, trained by Paul Messara and Leah Gavranich.
The Derby and Slipper is not the first time the Hollywood star has experienced the highs and lows of Australian racing.
Matt Damon’s horse (pictured at last month’s Golden Slipper race in Sydney) finished third in the Australian Derby at Randwick on Saturday.
Are You Kidding (circled, in black and yellow) finished more than 19 lengths behind the winner, Green Zones
Damon (pictured in Slipper) has been building connections with Aussie horse racing in recent years
Damon tasted success in January 2025 when his other horse, Dale, broke his maiden at Tamworth, giving the Oscar winner his first win as an owner Down Under.
The three-year-old, trained by Paul Messara and Gavranich, had placed twice before the bye, earning more than $30,000 in prize money.
The name of the horse has a personal story.
Coach Messara revealed the unusual background behind the name during the interview, explaining how the idea originated with a late-night phone call from Los Angeles.
“It’s a very long story,” Messara said.
‘It was late at night in LA and I get a phone call saying we’ve had this great idea and we want to buy a horse, but the principle must be called Dale.’
‘The story goes that Matt and his daughter actually bonded during their teenage years watching the movie Step Brothers, starring Dale and Brennan.’
Damon’s growing ties to Australian racing reflect his wider connection to the country, where he has spent extended time with his family and formed close friendships.
Damon stars in Are You Kidding with cricketer Steve Smith and AFL great Tom Hawkins (pictured with wife Emma)
Oppenheimer’s star (pictured with Slipper) tasted success Down Under with another horse, Dale, in January 2025.
The actor lives in Byron Bay, where his long-time friend Chris Hemsworth lives, and was a familiar face at local events, from AFL games to the Ekka in Brisbane.
His connection to Australia began during a deeply personal period following the death of his father, Kent Damon, in 2017.
‘After my dad died, we moved there for four months and just went camping all over the place,’ Damon said.
‘And just … I think because maybe she was never there, and it felt like a place to remember things with my children.’
Travel has become an annual tradition for Damon, his wife Luciana Barroso and their four daughters, and the family often chooses to spend the American summer in Australia.
Then every year we came back, even when we came back during the epidemic. We’ve been there for about six months, and it’s like a second home to us,’ he said.
‘We just love it and we love the people and everything about it.’
‘We have a lot of friends down there, really. I mean 30, 40 people. Family, friends, lots of people we like to see.’
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