Point Of Law heads a 24-horse Melbourne Cup field at Flemington on Tuesday. Here's the full field with barriers, the main contenders and what to weigh up.
The 166th Melbourne Cup (3200m) jumps at 3pm (AEDT) on Tuesday at Flemington. It's the seventh race on the card, and 24 horses will line up.
The final field
Barrier, horse, trainer, jockey and weight:
- 1. Middle Earth (Ciaron Maher / Mark Zahra) 56.5kg
- 2. Knight's Choice (John Symons & Sheila Laxon / Robbie Dolan) 56.5kg
- 3. Sons And Lovers (Joseph O'Brien / Dylan Browne McMonagle) 57.5kg
- 4. Strictly Business (Thomas Carberry / Dean Yendall) 53kg
- 5. Soul Of Spain (Chris Waller / Tommy Berry) 54.5kg
- 6. Asterix (Chris Waller / Jye McNeil) 55kg
- 7. So You Are (Bjorn Baker / Rachel King) 54kg
- 8. Enfjaar (Roger Varian / Ray Dawson) 56kg
- 9. Point Of Law (Ciaron Maher / Ethan Brown) 53kg
- 10. Zakouma (Grahame Begg / William Pike) 52kg
- 11. Zahrann (Ciaron Maher / Ben Melham) 54.5kg
- 12. Future History (Gregory Hickman / Jamie Melham) 53.5kg
- 13. Onesmoothoperator (Tim Fitzsimmons / Declan Bates) 54.5kg
- 14. Juja Kibo (Ciaron Maher / Sam Clipperton) 55kg
- 15. Hopewell Rock (George Boughey / Zac Lloyd) 54.5kg
- 16. Mr Monaco (Ciaron Maher / Jabez Johnstone) 52.5kg
- 17. Shockletz (Ciaron Maher / rider to be confirmed) 51kg
- 18. Trustyourinstinct (Joseph O'Brien / James McDonald) 57kg
- 19. Goodie Two Shoes (Joseph O'Brien / Wayne Lordan) 55kg
- 20. Kizlyar (Joseph O'Brien / Beau Mertens) 53.5kg
- 21. Royal Supremacy (Ciaron Maher / Ben Allen) 56kg
- 22. Vauban (Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott / Jordan Childs) 56.5kg
- 23. Wine Dark Sea (Harry Charlton / Damian Lane) 56kg
- 24. James J Braddock (Joseph O'Brien / Craig Williams) 53.5kg
Changes since acceptances
Joseph O'Brien's Defiantly, once the early favourite, was withdrawn on Saturday after failing a vet check, and stablemate Kizlyar came into the field. Shockletz's rider is still to be confirmed after Harry Coffey's Derby Day fall. Strictly Business now has Dean Yendall aboard.
The key chances
- Point Of Law: the market favourite. He won the Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket, then the Geelong Cup, which earned a 2kg penalty to 53kg. He's lightly raced and has a good middle draw.
- Trustyourinstinct: a Curragh Cup winner who was fourth in the Irish St Leger. He has James McDonald aboard but must overcome barrier 18.
- Juja Kibo: won the Metropolitan and the Moonee Valley Gold Cup this spring, and his rider is very bullish (more in our Cup-eve news).
- Hopewell Rock: second in the Ebor at York, from barrier 15.
- Shockletz: won the Archer Stakes at Flemington and carries just 51kg, the same weight her sire Shocking carried to win in 2009.
- Middle Earth: third last year, with the inside gate.
Knight's Choice, the 2024 winner, would be the first dual winner since Makybe Diva if he wins again.
The punting angle
This is an open Cup. The favourite is around $6 to $7, with a cluster of others between about $8 and $13. Rain is forecast for Monday, so the track could be in the soft range, and the rating should firm as the day goes on. Check the official rating and any jockey changes on Tuesday morning. Horses with proven form on rain-affected ground, such as Mr Monaco, who won the Bart Cummings on a wet track, deserve a closer look if the track stays soft. See every runner on our Melbourne Cup horses page, and the past winners on our Melbourne Cup results page.
FREE: The 2026 Melbourne Cup Guide – our Best Bet, our top six, plus an outsider and a longshot we like at the odds – with the final field, barriers and prices.