The 2026 Lexus Melbourne Cup is a Group 1 handicap over 3200 metres at Flemington, Race 7 at 3:00pm AEDT on Tuesday 3 November 2026, for $10.2 million. Point Of Law is favourite at $7.50, from Trustyourinstinct $8 and Hopewell Rock $10. Punt Hub's value bet is No. 1 Sons And Lovers at $20: the best European form in the field, the sharpest closing sectionals and barrier 3 in a race where the speed is drawn wide.
No scratchings. Ciaron Maher saddles a record seven runners and Joseph O'Brien five. Harry Coffey's ride on Shockletz was still to be confirmed after collarbone surgery. The track was a Good 4 on Monday morning, rail out 3m, with up to 25mm forecast before a near-dry Cup Day. Follow the live market on the Punt Hub Melbourne Cup race page.
Melbourne Cup 2026 tips at a glance
Value bet (strong): 1. Sons And Lovers (barrier 3, 57.5kg, Dylan Browne McMonagle) at $20.
Main dangers: 20. Point Of Law ($7.50) and 12. Hopewell Rock ($10).
Next best: 16. So You Are ($14) and 2. Trustyourinstinct ($8).
Each way: 11. Juja Kibo ($12) and 4. Middle Earth ($17).
Roughie: 14. Soul Of Spain ($34).
Punt Hub selections: 1, 20, 12, 16, 2, 11, 4.
Melbourne Cup 2026 key facts
Item | Detail | Date | Tuesday 3 November 2026 |
|---|---|
Venue | Flemington, Melbourne |
Race | Race 7, Group 1 |
Start time | 3:00pm AEDT |
Distance | 3200 metres |
Conditions | Handicap, 3yo and upwards |
Prizemoney | $10.2 million including trophies; $4.5 million to the winner |
Field | 24 runners, no scratchings |
Weights | 57.5kg down to 51kg |
Track | Good 4 Monday morning, rail out 3m |
Forecast | Up to 25mm Monday; Cup Day 0 to 2mm, 18°C |
Last year's winner | Half Yours at $9, from Goodie Two Shoes and Middle Earth |
All times AEDT.
Melbourne Cup 2026 field, barriers and odds
No. | Horse | Barrier | Kg | Jockey | Trainer | Form | Win odds | 1 | Sons And Lovers | 3 | 57.5 | Dylan Browne McMonagle | Joseph O'Brien | 451x2 | $20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2 | Trustyourinstinct | 18 | 57 | James McDonald | Joseph O'Brien | 21214 | $8 |
3 | Knight's Choice | 2 | 56.5 | Robbie Dolan | Symons & Laxon | x0930 | $41 |
4 | Middle Earth | 1 | 56.5 | Mark Zahra | Ciaron Maher | 87898 | $17 |
5 | Vauban | 22 | 56.5 | Jordan Childs | Waterhouse & Bott | 133x9 | $61 |
6 | Enfjaar | 8 | 56 | Ray Dawson | Roger Varian | 381x3 | $26 |
7 | Royal Supremacy | 21 | 56 | Ben Allen | Ciaron Maher | 1x910 | $51 |
8 | Wine Dark Sea | 23 | 56 | Damian Lane | Harry Charlton | 151x0 | $41 |
9 | Asterix | 6 | 55 | Jye McNeil | Chris Waller | x5300 | $61 |
10 | Goodie Two Shoes | 19 | 55 | Wayne Lordan | Joseph O'Brien | x8210 | $26 |
11 | Juja Kibo | 14 | 55 | Sam Clipperton | Ciaron Maher | x3211 | $12 |
12 | Hopewell Rock | 15 | 54.5 | Zac Lloyd | George Boughey | 3612x | $10 |
13 | Onesmoothoperator | 13 | 54.5 | Declan Bates | Tim Fitzsimmons | 9x090 | $71 |
14 | Soul Of Spain | 5 | 54.5 | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller | 68378 | $34 |
15 | Zahrann | 11 | 54.5 | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher | x4106 | $31 |
16 | So You Are | 7 | 54 | Rachel King | Bjorn Baker | 21111 | $14 |
17 | Future History | 12 | 53.5 | Jamie Melham | Greg Hickman | x3249 | $51 |
18 | James J Braddock | 24 | 53.5 | Craig Williams | Joseph O'Brien | 136x6 | $21 |
19 | Kizlyar | 20 | 53.5 | Beau Mertens | Joseph O'Brien | 1x2x0 | $51 |
20 | Point Of Law | 9 | 53 | Ethan Brown | Ciaron Maher | 141x1 | $7.50 |
21 | Strictly Business | 4 | 53 | Dean Yendall | Thomas Carberry | 2x000 | $71 |
22 | Mr Monaco | 16 | 52.5 | Jabez Johnstone | Ciaron Maher | x4013 | $26 |
23 | Zakouma | 10 | 52 | William Pike | Grahame Begg | x6650 | $41 |
24 | Shockletz | 17 | 51 | Harry Coffey (TBC) | Ciaron Maher | 64162 | $11 |
Melbourne Cup 2026 market overview
Point Of Law opened $7 and sits at $7.50, with Trustyourinstinct ($8) the only other runner in single figures. Hopewell Rock is the biggest firmer ($13 to $10), So You Are ($17 to $14) and Shockletz ($13 to $11) were backed, and James J Braddock drifted from $14 to $21.
We checked every winner since 2005: only two favourites won, eight of 21 started at $10 or shorter and four at $26 or longer. Ten started at the price they showed 45 minutes out, nine drifted late and only two firmed.
Our Melbourne Cup value bet: Sons And Lovers
A six-year-old gelding with a staying record few here can match, $20 only because he has no Australian run and lost his booked jockey.
The form is the strongest in the race
Group 2 wins in the Red Sea Turf Handicap (3000m, Riyadh) in February and the Prix Maurice de Nieuil (2800m, Longchamp) in July, fourth in the Dubai Gold Cup over 3200m, and second under 63.5kg in the Kilternan Stakes last start. Not outside the first five this year.
The closing sectionals stand out
On our reading of the European form his late splits are the sharpest in this field; no other runner has matched his closing 800m this year. In a genuinely run Cup, that is the weapon.
Barrier 3 is the map he needs
The speed is drawn wide: Kizlyar (20), Royal Supremacy (21) and Wine Dark Sea (23) all want to roll forward. From barrier 3 he can slot in midfield on the fence, four to eight lengths off the lead, and save ground the whole trip.
The weight profile fits
Since 2005, horses with 56kg to 57.5kg have won five Cups from 47 starters, three times the strike rate of the lighter brigade. Gold Trip (2022) won with 57.5kg and saddlecloth No. 1, exactly what Sons And Lovers carries. He also drops 6kg from his last start; 16 of the last 21 winners dropped weight, and Rekindling and Cross Counter dropped exactly 6kg.
The case against
No Australian run, though Rekindling and Twilight Payment won off 52 and 51-day breaks, the same gap he has. Dylan Browne McMonagle replaces Ryan Moore. His last run was 2414m, not the 2800m-plus most overseas placegetters came from. Worse than a Soft 6 is a concern. Winkers first time.
Price guide: $20, after opening at $21.
Melbourne Cup 2026 contenders and form analysis
Point Of Law ($7.50)
Favourite off one Australian run, a fast-time Geelong Cup win at his fifth start. A Frankel four-year-old once raced by King Charles III, with 53kg, the most successful weight in Cup history. Drops 2kg off a win, the profile of seven of the last 21 winners. The risks: no favourite has won since 2013, he has never raced beyond 2846m or on a wet track, and he can be keen.
Hopewell Rock ($10)
Ten starts. Won a 2816m Goodwood handicap beating Small Fry, later second to Point Of Law at Geelong, then second of 22 in the Ebor after his rider dropped the whip. Drops 6kg. Worries: 73 days since that run, barrier 15, first try at 3200m, and the Ebor is not a Group race; all 21 winners since 2005 came from one.
So You Are ($14)
The fittest horse in the race: four straight wins including the Bendigo Cup six days ago and 28km of racing since March. Drops 4.5kg to 54kg, races on the pace, draws 7, handles wet ground (four wins from 16 starts). The class question is fair; only Knight's Choice has won the Cup out of the Bendigo Cup.
Trustyourinstinct ($8)
The class horse before the draw. Won the Group 2 Curragh Cup from last, then fourth in the Irish St Leger, Twilight Payment's final lead-up. Proven at 3200m, drops 4.5kg, James McDonald rides. Barrier 18 has one winner ever; with 57kg he may be forced back or burn petrol going forward.
Juja Kibo ($12)
In form: won the Metropolitan, then the Moonee Valley Gold Cup from the back half of the field. Maher rates him among his best hopes; he draws 14 and drops 3kg off a win, the profile of seven of the last 21 winners. The questions: his only 3200m run was a ninth in the Sydney Cup on a seven-day back-up, and his lead-ups were slowly run. Each way and in exotics.
Middle Earth ($17)
Third last year with 54.5kg, now 56.5kg, set for this race with five lead-ups and 15km behind him. Mark Zahra has won two of the last four Cups; saddlecloth No. 4 has the most winners of any number. The four winners since 2005 who finished outside the top five at their lead-up all came from weight-for-age races, three from the Cox Plate; his 8th there fits. Barrier 1 risks a pocket. Each way and in exotics.
The rest of the field. Soul Of Spain ($34) is our roughie: second in the Sydney Cup, drawn 5, better in fast-run races. Shockletz ($11) is a daughter of 2009 winner Shocking with 51kg, blinkers and the same colours, but has never raced beyond 2500m. Enfjaar ($26) goes up 1.5kg and has never gone past 2414m.
Melbourne Cup 2026 speed map and barriers
Position | Runners | Leaders | So You Are, Kizlyar, Royal Supremacy |
|---|---|
On or near the pace | Point Of Law, Enfjaar, Wine Dark Sea, Future History, Mr Monaco, Soul Of Spain |
Midfield | Sons And Lovers, Trustyourinstinct, Juja Kibo, Zahrann, Hopewell Rock, Asterix, Knight's Choice, Zakouma, Strictly Business, James J Braddock |
Back | Middle Earth, Goodie Two Shoes, Shockletz, Vauban, Onesmoothoperator |
No dominant leader, but plenty of speed drawn wide that must roll forward. That points to a genuine tempo, which suits fit, ground-saving midfielders.
History says… since 1924, gate 5 has the most winners (Soul Of Spain), 11 is next (Zahrann) and 8 produced last year's winner (Enfjaar). Barrier 18 has one winner in 102 years (Trustyourinstinct). Wide gates are no bar: 14 of the last 21 winners jumped from 10 or wider.
Flemington track condition and weather for the Melbourne Cup
Good 4 on Monday morning, rail out 3m. The Bureau of Meteorology forecast 7 to 25mm on Monday with storms, then 0 to 2mm and 18°C on Cup Day. Flemington drains well; a Soft 5 or 6 that upgrades through the afternoon is likely. On a Soft 6 or worse So You Are and Juja Kibo improve and Point Of Law and Soul Of Spain are harder to trust.
Horse | Good | Soft | Heavy | Sons And Lovers | 16: 3-2-4 | 3: 1-0-1 | 0: 0-0-0 |
|---|---|---|---|
Point Of Law | 5: 3-1-0 | 0: 0-0-0 | 0: 0-0-0 |
Hopewell Rock | 5: 2-0-2 | 3: 0-3-0 | 2: 1-0-0 |
So You Are | 12: 4-1-4 | 13: 3-5-1 | 3: 1-0-1 |
Trustyourinstinct | 14: 6-4-1 | 9: 3-2-1 | 2: 0-0-1 |
Juja Kibo | 12: 2-3-3 | 6: 3-0-3 | 2: 1-0-0 |
Middle Earth | 17: 4-1-2 | 7: 2-0-1 | 1: 0-0-0 |
Soul Of Spain | 16: 4-3-3 | 8: 1-1-2 | 2: 0-1-1 |
Melbourne Cup trends and statistics
Favourites: two winners in 21 years (2005, 2013); none in the last 12. Eight of 21 started at $10 or shorter, four at $26 or longer.
Weight change: 16 of the last 21 winners carried less than at their previous start. The three that went up had all won their lead-up. Seven 2026 runners go up in weight; none won last start.
Lead-up: all 21 winners since 2005 came out of a Group race, 17 finished top five and 12 raced within 14 days. Cox Plate six, Caulfield Cup four, Geelong Cup two.
Age: six-year-olds lead this century with 10 of 26 wins; no nine-year-old has ever won.
Partnerships: the last four Cups were won by training partnerships; only two run this year (Symons and Laxon, Waterhouse and Bott).
Riders: Corey Brown, Kerrin McEvoy and Mark Zahra have two wins each since 2005; only Zahra rides on Tuesday.
Recent Melbourne Cup winners
Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Barrier | Kg | SP | Lead-up | 2025 | Half Yours | Jamie Melham | T and C McEvoy | 8 | 53 | $9 | Caulfield Cup, 1st |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 | Knight's Choice | Robbie Dolan | Symons and Laxon | 5 | 51.5 | $91 | Bendigo Cup, 5th |
2023 | Without A Fight | Mark Zahra | A and S Freedman | 16 | 56.5 | $8 | Caulfield Cup, 1st |
2022 | Gold Trip | Mark Zahra | Maher and Eustace | 13 | 57.5 | $21 | Cox Plate, 9th |
2021 | Verry Elleegant | James McDonald | Chris Waller | 18 | 57 | $18 | Cox Plate, 3rd |
2020 | Twilight Payment | Jye McNeil | Joseph O'Brien | 12 | 55.5 | $26 | Irish St Leger, 3rd |
2019 | Vow And Declare | Craig Williams | Danny O'Brien | 21 | 52 | $11 | Caulfield Cup, 2nd |
2018 | Cross Counter | Kerrin McEvoy | Charlie Appleby | 19 | 51 | $9 | Great Voltigeur, 2nd |
2017 | Rekindling | Corey Brown | Joseph O'Brien | 4 | 51.5 | $14 | St Leger, 4th |
2016 | Almandin | Kerrin McEvoy | Robert Hickmott | 17 | 52 | $11 | Bart Cummings, 1st |
Half Yours beat Goodie Two Shoes ($41) by 2.8 lengths last year, with Middle Earth third.
Melbourne Cup history
The Melbourne Cup was first run on Thursday 7 November 1861: seventeen started, three fell, two died, and Archer won by six lengths before winning again in 1862. It has been run on the first Tuesday in November since 1875 and has been a public holiday since 1877. It has always been a handicap; Carbine's 66kg in 1890 and Banker's 34kg in 1863 remain the extremes.
Phar Lap won at 11/8 on in 1930, the shortest price in the race's history. Makybe Diva is the only triple winner (2003 to 2005), carrying a mares' record 58kg in the last. Kingston Rule's 3:16.3 in 1990 is still the record.
The 2026 race is the 166th running and the first with a $10.2 million purse, up from $10 million. Locals have won the last five Cups, two at $91 and $9, and favourites have lost 12 in a row, pushing punters towards each-way prices and exotics.
Melbourne Cup 2026 prizemoney
1st: $4,500,000 plus trophies valued at $1,110,000
2nd: $1,110,000
3rd: $560,000
4th: $360,000
5th: $240,000
6th to 12th: $160,000 each
13th to 24th: $100,000 each
Melbourne Cup 2026 frequently asked questions
When is the 2026 Melbourne Cup and how far is it?
Race 7 at Flemington over 3200 metres on Tuesday 3 November 2026, jumping at 3:00pm AEDT (2:00pm Queensland, midday Western Australia).
Who is the favourite for the 2026 Melbourne Cup?
Point Of Law, $7.50. Only two favourites have won since 2005.
What are Punt Hub's Melbourne Cup 2026 tips?
Value bet Sons And Lovers ($20); dangers Point Of Law and Hopewell Rock; next best So You Are and Trustyourinstinct; each way Juja Kibo and Middle Earth; roughie Soul Of Spain ($34). We are not opposing any runner.
What is the Flemington track rating and are there scratchings?
Good 4 on Monday morning, rail out 3m; with up to 25mm forecast for Monday a Soft 5 or 6 is likely. No scratchings yet; they close at 7:30am race morning.
How much prizemoney does the Melbourne Cup winner get?
$4.5 million plus trophies valued at $1.11 million, from a $10.2 million purse.
Who won the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
Half Yours at $9 for Jamie Melham, beating Goodie Two Shoes and Middle Earth, who both run again in 2026.
Which trainer has the most runners in the 2026 Melbourne Cup?
Ciaron Maher, with a record seven. Joseph O'Brien has five.
Which barrier wins the Melbourne Cup most often?
Barrier 5, then 11. Fourteen of the last 21 winners jumped from barrier 10 or wider.
How to watch the Melbourne Cup 2026
Live and free on Channel 9 and 9Now from 10:00am AEDT. Tickets for Flemington are on the VRC Lexus Melbourne Cup Day page.