Gavin Bedggood's Kingswood won the 150th Caulfield Cup at $26, coming from barrier 17 under John Allen, in a race overshadowed by a fall involving last year's Cups double winner Half Yours.
Kingswood has won the 150th running of the Caulfield Cup (Group 1, 2400m), giving trainer Gavin Bedggood the biggest win of his career and jockey John Allen his 22nd Group 1.
Sent out at $26, Kingswood overcame barrier 17 of 18. Allen let him settle three-wide in a rhythm for most of the trip, then produced him in the straight. He hit the front at the 180m and held on to beat Saint George (Craig Williams, Ciaron Maher) by half a length. English stayer Enfjaar (Ray Dawson, Roger Varian) was another half-length away third, after looking the winner on the turn. The $4.80 favourite Cosmic Crusader ran fourth, 1.4 lengths from the winner, ahead of Kings Valley and Zahrann.
From Cork maiden to Caulfield Cup
Owned by Glynn and Jane Davies, Kingswood (Roaring Lion – All At Sea) was bought for €130,000 at the 2021 Goffs Orby Yearling Sale. He won a maiden at Cork among seven starts in Ireland before coming to Australia. Since joining Bedggood he has won six of 15 starts, including the Group 1 Zabeel Classic in New Zealand and the Listed Heatherlie Handicap at Caulfield. The Cup was worth $3.84 million to the winner and takes his earnings to just under $5 million.
Bedggood, a former jockey who rode 97 winners before retiring in 2016, admitted he was disappointed with the draw but left the tactics to Allen. The result, he said, proved what the horse could do over a distance.
A sad day as well
The race was marred by a fall in the home straight. Half Yours, last year's Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup winner, went down at about the 300m and Chris Waller's Ohope Wins fell over him. Half Yours got up and cantered away, but Ohope Wins suffered catastrophic injuries and was euthanised on veterinary advice. Jockeys Mark Zahra and Jye McNeil were taken to hospital for observation and were not seriously hurt.
What it means for the Melbourne Cup
Kingswood is not entered for the Melbourne Cup. The biggest Flemington pointer was Enfjaar, whose connections confirmed he will run on the first Tuesday in November. Half Yours is now considered highly unlikely to defend his Cup title. Our full rundown of the Cup contenders is on the Melbourne Cup Horses page.
FREE: get the clues that find Cup winners, our betting plan and the horses to watch in The 2026 Melbourne Cup Guide.