The first Tuesday in November has arrived, and all eyes turn to Flemington for the 2026 Melbourne Cup Carnival's biggest day. A capacity crowd, an international field of stayers and one of Australian sport's most iconic events set the stage for another memorable edition of the race that stops the nation.
The 2026 Melbourne Cup takes centre stage as 24 runners chase one of racing's most prestigious prizes. With defending champions, established international stayers and emerging Australian-trained contenders among the field, this year's Cup presents a fascinating contest of stamina, tactics and staying form. We've covered every runner in our dedicated Melbourne Cup runner-by-runner preview, including barrier draws, betting odds and our leading selections.
Melbourne Cup Day is about much more than the feature race. Flemington hosts a competitive ten-race program, beginning with the Group 3 Darley Maribyrnong Plate for the two-year-olds and featuring the Group 3 Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes later in the afternoon. There are also several intriguing handicaps and Listed races offering opportunities to find value away from the headline event.
Track conditions could play an important role in how the day unfolds. With the rail positioned 3m out for the entire circuit and up to 20mm of rain forecast for Monday, punters will need to monitor the Flemington surface closely. A Good-to-Soft track is anticipated, although any significant change in conditions could influence both race patterns and betting selections.
The action gets underway at 10:45am AEDT, with the Melbourne Cup scheduled for 3:00pm AEDT. Below, we break down the supporting races with form analysis, leading chances and our best bets, while our separate Melbourne Cup preview provides a comprehensive assessment of all 24 runners.
Track & rail: Rail out 3m for the entire circuit. Good/Soft conditions anticipated, with up to 20mm of rain forecast on Monday. Monitor conditions before betting.
Flemington Melbourne Cup Day — Best Bets
| Race |
Best Bet |
Odds |
| Race 1 |
No Bet |
|
| Race 2 |
Yauson |
$2.80 (3.5 units) |
| Race 3 |
Fringilla |
$5.00 (1 unit) |
| Race 4 |
No Bet |
|
| Race 5 |
Jennivamoose E/W |
$6.00 / $2.50 (1u win / 3u place) |
| Race 6 |
Sabaj |
$2.60 (3.5 units) |
| Race 7 |
Melbourne Cup preview & selections |
See preview |
| Race 8 |
No Bet |
|
| Race 9 |
So You Pence |
$5.50 (1 unit) |
| Race 10 |
No Bet |
|
Flemington Melbourne Cup Day Preview
Race 1 – Darley Maribyrnong Plate Group 3- 1000m (10:45am AEDT)
(1) Royal Press: 2YO Colt who debuted in listed company and was only narrowly beaten. He is the only one to have a race under his belt, so will have taken plenty from that debut run and will strip fitter. Sticky gate the only downfall but looks classy. Genuine hope.
(2) Amsterdam: 2YO Colt who cost over $1million dollars and has placed in two jump outs leading into this. The early market support has been strong indicating that the stable are bullish. Keen to see what he delivers.
NO BET
Race 2 – Pin & Win Community BM80 – 2000m (11:20am AEDT)
(2) Foujita San: 7YO Gelding who hasn’t won for some time, but was encouraging second up over 1700m in this grade lugging 62kg finishing second, only a length off the winner. Third up record is sound and Mark Zahra steers for the first time. Looks a nice value play.
(10) Chispa: 4YO Mare who rates highly for this affair and although his results look poor on paper, he has been finishing strongly and looks primed now fourth up. J-Mac gets back into the saddle which boosts confidence. Will be thereabouts.
(13) Yauson: Lightly raced 4YO gelding who has been racing in terrific form this campaign, registering two wins and two placings from four starts. He was enormous last start over 2000m at Caulfield in BM78 company, enduring a tough run three-wide without cover throughout. He looked under pressure before the turn, with Childs already hard at work, but kept finding and fought on strongly to finish a narrow third. It was a very impressive effort given the run he had. He’s rock-hard fit now fourth-up and meets similar opposition, including the last-start winner, much better at the weights. The wide draw is the obvious concern, but he generally jumps well and looks capable of rolling forward to find a handy spot, particularly with plenty of his rivals likely to settle back. He’s a major player and well and truly capable of another big run.
BEST BET
(13) Yauson WIN
$2.80 (3.5 Units)
Race 3 – Tab One Pool Trophy Listed – 1800m (12:00pm AEDT)
(2) Star Of Macedon: 3YO Colt who has been racing well and boasts a pretty handy CV with the 1 win and 4 placings from his 6 career starts. Honest type who draws kindly and gets every chance today. Early market support is promising.
(8) Fringilla: 3YO Filly who won well two back to break maiden before tackling Group 3 company as a $2.90 chance. Drops back in trip to a similar distance when she won her maiden two back and gets Criag Williams back who won aboard in that race. Worth thought.
BEST BET
(8) Fringilla WIN
$5.00 (1 Unit)
Race 4 – The Scweppervescnence Plate – 1000m (12:40pm AEDT)
(1) Big Wigs: 3YO Colt who was racing well and SP’d $5.00 last start over 1400m in listed grade but unfortunately pulled up with issues (Mucus). Has had 52 days break and has had a jump out leading back into this. The 1000m may just be a touch short for him, but he looks to be a talented type and if back to his best is capable of a blow out here.
(13) Fovea: 3YO Filly for Bjorn Baker and Rachel King who has gone $11.00 into $5.50 to be the early favourite. Dominant debut winner and then probably went too hard second up, but was brave in defeat clinging on to second place. Third up now and looks a talent.
NO BET
Race 5 – Australian Heritage Cup BM96 – 2800m (1:20pm AEDT)
(4) Tempesti: 8YO gelding who is racing in some good form without winning. Drawn well today and Jamie Mott retains the ride. Only beaten by the talented So You Are last start. Genuine hope.
(5) Jennivamoose: 7YO Mare who was excellent three back and last start with a forgive run in between when tackling the heavy deck. She was only 2L off the winner in Juja Kibo last start over 2500m and was hitting the line well, so the rise to 2800m now looks perfect. Drawn fairly and Mark Zahra steers for Maher. Major Player
BEST BET
(5) Jennivamoose E/W
$6.00 / $2.50 (1u/3u)
Race 6 – Asahi Super Dry Plate Listed - 1800m (1:55pm AEDT)
(3) Tavi Time: 7YO Gelding who has a terrific CV with a nearly 30%-win strike rate and that’s with been a touch out of form recently. However, her second up run was encouraging over 1600m when hitting the line strongly, just found a couple better. Third up record is sound and gets back onto dry ground which will assist. Roughie chance if at his best.
(4) Sabaj: 5YO Gelding who drops right back in grade after competing at Group 1 level for his past three. Hard fit fourth up and this looks an easy race for him. Drawn well and looks the one to beat.
BEST BET
(4) Sabaj WIN
Odds $2.60 (3.5 Units)
Race 7 – Lexus Melbourne Cup (Group 1) – 3200m (3:00pm AEDT)
The race that stops the nation is the centrepiece of Tuesday’s Flemington card. With a full field of 24 runners, international stayers and leading local contenders, we have covered the Melbourne Cup separately with a detailed runner-by-runner analysis, barrier draws, win odds and our top selections.
Race 8 – Crown Amanda Elliot Listed – 1400m (3:50pm AEDT)
(2) Barracks: 3YO Colt who broke maiden first up this prep and then jumped straight into Group 3 company and was only narrowly beaten. Strips fitter again and looks to be on the up.
(5) Ranarsson: 3YO Colt who has strung together back to back wins and they have both been demolition jobs winning by 5L on debut and then 3L second up. Rises in grade now, but looks to have plenty of upside. Looks a major player.
NO BET
Race 9 – The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes Group 3 – 1400m (5:35pm AEDT)
(2) Shadhavar: 5YO Mare who we tipped last start, and she didn’t disappoint when winning easily over 1400m at Group 2 level. Remains at 1400m and drops back to Group 3 company, so gets an extra 2kg on her back. Craig Williams sticks with her and with the low draw he can dictate the race to his liking. Will take catching.
(7) So You Pence: Lightly raced 7YO mare with just 11 career starts to her name, but she boasts a very tidy record with five wins and four placings. She holds nominations for both this race and back home at Randwick, but if the stable elects to head this way, she looks very well placed. Her first-up run was encouraging, doing plenty of work after being caught wide but still finding the line strongly to grab third. She’s had a couple of weeks between runs, draws beautifully here and gets the booking of Tommy Berry, who is riding in good form. The rise to 1400m looks ideal given the way she finished off over 1200m, while her second-up record is another positive. If she takes her place, she looks a terrific bet at the current price.
BEST BET
(7) So You Pence WIN
$5.50 (1 Unit)
Race 10 – Channel 9 Trophy BM90 – 1400m (5:15pm AEDT)
(1) Buccleuch: 4YO Gelding who has returned superbly this campaign with three wins next to his name. Loves this track and trip with a good relationship with Billy Egan. Drawn to get every chance again and looks the one to beat.
(3) Porter: 6YO gelding who was ticking over nicely before producing a lovely win over 1440m at Caulfield last start when lugging 62.5kg. Rises in grade now but gets 6kg off his back. Drawn fairly with Blake Shinn in the saddle. At the price he looks a good value play.
NO BET
