Melbourne Cup 2026 — Field, Odds, Start Time and Results

What is the Melbourne Cup 2026?

The Melbourne Cup 2026 is the 166th running of Australia's most famous horse race, a Group 1 handicap over 3200 metres at Flemington Racecourse. It is open to horses aged three and over, apprentices cannot claim their usual weight allowance, and the field is capped at 24 runners with no emergencies. The race has been run every year since 1861, and its nickname, "the race that stops a nation", comes from the way offices, pubs and living rooms around Australia pause for a few minutes on the first Tuesday in November.

Lexus is the naming-rights sponsor, so the official name is the Lexus Melbourne Cup. The Victoria Racing Club (VRC) runs the race as the centrepiece of the four-day Melbourne Cup Carnival.

When and what time is the Melbourne Cup 2026?

The Melbourne Cup 2026 is run on Tuesday 3 November, jumping at 3:00pm AEDT as Race 7 on the Flemington program. Gates at Flemington open at 9:00am, the first race is at 10:45am and the last race is at 5:15pm. Our Melbourne Cup start time guide converts 3:00pm AEDT into every Australian state and the main overseas time zones.

Who is in the Melbourne Cup 2026 field?

The Melbourne Cup 2026 field is not final until acceptances close at 4:30pm on Saturday 31 October, but the order of entry tells us which 24 horses are in line to run. After third acceptances, 39 horses remained. Since then the Bendigo Cup has lifted So You Are into the field, Saint George has been ruled out after failing his scans, and Jennivamoose has been withdrawn. Every runner has a profile on our Melbourne Cup field page.

The projected field is dominated by two stables. Ciaron Maher has seven runners, including four golden ticket winners, and Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien has five. Nine of the 24 are trained overseas.

What are the Melbourne Cup 2026 odds?

The Melbourne Cup 2026 odds are led by Point Of Law and Trustyourinstinct at $7, ahead of Hopewell Rock at $10 and Defiantly and Shockletz at $11. These are Ladbrokes fixed odds from 6:24am AEDT on Friday 30 October. Prices will move sharply after the barrier draw on Saturday night and again when the track rating is known on Tuesday. The full market with every runner is on our Melbourne Cup odds page.

Who are the main Melbourne Cup 2026 contenders?

The main Melbourne Cup 2026 contenders fall into three groups: the lightly raced improvers, the proven Cup horses and the in-form locals.

1. Point Of Law won the Geelong Cup at his Australian debut and only his fifth start. He is a Frankel gelding with 53kg, but he has never raced at 3200m.
2. Trustyourinstinct won the Curragh Cup, the same race that came before Joseph O'Brien's Cup wins with Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020). James McDonald rides.
3. Middle Earth ran third in last year's Cup and is a half-brother to Defiantly. Mark Zahra, a two-time Cup winner, rides.
4. Goodie Two Shoes was second last year and has placed in all three of her starts at 3200m.
5. Shockletz is trying to copy her sire Shocking, who won the Archer Stakes (then the Hotham Handicap) and the Cup in 2009.
6. So You Are has won four stakes races in a row, the last of them the Bendigo Cup on Wednesday.

What happened in the lead-up races?

The lead-up races reshaped the Melbourne Cup 2026 market over three weekends:

• Caulfield Cup (17 October): Kingswood won at long odds from Saint George and Enfjaar. Half Yours fell near the 300m, and Ohope Wins was brought down and could not be saved.
• Geelong Cup (21 October): Point Of Law beat the Joseph O'Brien pair Small Fry and Omni Man, winning the ninth golden ticket.
• Cox Plate (24 October): Cosmic Crusader won the first Cox Plate run at Flemington, ahead of Birdman and Aeliana. None of the three is running in the Cup.
• Moonee Valley Gold Cup (24 October): Juja Kibo led a Ciaron Maher trifecta ahead of Kings Valley and Mr Monaco to win the last golden ticket.
• Bendigo Cup (28 October): So You Are won and earned a 1kg penalty, which moved him into 24th place in the order of entry.

The race-by-race detail is in our Melbourne Cup form guide.

Which horses are still waiting on vet checks?

Racing Victoria vets inspected 36 Cup horses on Thursday 29 October and cleared 29 of them. Five horses inside the projected 24 still need to pass before they can run:

• Defiantly arrived without a right hind shoe and showed a change in gait. He will be re-examined on Saturday morning after being re-shod.
• Vauban showed a change in gait and will be re-examined on Friday morning.
• Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea will be re-examined on Saturday morning.
• Stinger Glass had not been inspected and will have his first examination on Friday.

If any of them fails, the first reserve, Future History, moves into the field. The status of every runner is updated on our Melbourne Cup news page as Racing Victoria releases it.

What does history say about the Melbourne Cup?

History says the Melbourne Cup is hard on favourites. No favourite has won the race since Fiorente in 2013, and recent winners have ranged from short-priced fancies to Knight's Choice, who won at long odds in 2024. Four, five and six-year-olds have won most modern Cups, and most winners settle in the back half of the field before making their run.

How do you bet on the Melbourne Cup 2026?

You bet on the Melbourne Cup 2026 by opening an account with a licensed bookmaker or the TAB, depositing money and choosing a bet type: a win, a place, an each-way bet or an exotic such as a trifecta. Fixed-odds markets are already open, and prices differ between bookmakers, so it pays to compare. Our Melbourne Cup betting guide explains each bet type with examples, and the most important rule is the same for everyone: decide your budget before you place a single bet.

Where can you watch the Melbourne Cup 2026?

You can watch the Melbourne Cup 2026 live and free on Channel 9 and stream it on 9Now. Nine is in the third year of a broadcast deal with the VRC that runs until 2029. Racing.com (channels 78 and 68), Foxtel channel 529, Kayo Sports and Sky Racing also carry the Carnival.

Is Melbourne Cup Day a public holiday?

Melbourne Cup Day is a public holiday across Victoria, unless a regional council has set a different local holiday. It is not a public holiday in the other states, although many workplaces stop for the race at 3:00pm AEDT.

What is the Melbourne Cup 2026 prize money?

The Melbourne Cup 2026 is worth $10.2 million. The winner takes $4.5 million, second $1.11 million, third $560,000, fourth $360,000 and fifth $240,000. Sixth to 12th each earn $160,000, and since 2025 every runner from 13th to 24th has earned $100,000.

Bet responsibly. Only bet what you can afford to lose, set a deposit limit with your bookmaker and take breaks. Gambling Help Online offers free, confidential support 24/7 on 1800 858 858. Read our responsible gambling guide.

Who wrote and checked this page

Written by

Alexander Korsager

Alexander Korsager is our editor-in-chief. He has spent more than ten years in online gambling and iGaming, including senior leadership roles. He writes every Melbourne Cup guide on this site from official VRC and Racing Victoria sources.

Fact-checked by

Mark D'Andrea

Mark D'Andrea is a Senior Regulatory Consultant at Gaming Associates, an independent testing and certification laboratory for the gambling industry. He fact-checks our race guides, betting rules and safer gambling information.

Read our editorial policy to see how we research, check and correct every page.