Point Of Law, So You Are, The Euphrates and Omni Man have been scratched from Saturday's Moonee Valley Gold Cup at Flemington, leaving 16 runners chasing a ballot-exempt start in the Melbourne Cup.
The Moonee Valley Gold Cup (Group 2, 2500m) is the last chance for a horse to win its way into the Melbourne Cup. The winner on Saturday at Flemington earns a ballot exemption for the Cup on Tuesday 3 November, and with the field now set, 16 runners are chasing it.
Four big names out
Four horses were scratched on Wednesday and Thursday:
- Point Of Law – no longer needs the race after winning the Geelong Cup on Wednesday, which made him ballot-exempt for the Melbourne Cup.
- Omni Man – third behind Point Of Law at Geelong for Joseph O'Brien.
- The Euphrates – led in the Geelong Cup but faded to finish 10th.
- So You Are – the Bjorn Baker stayer who has been penalised twice for the Melbourne Cup.
The scratchings moved the emergencies into the field, including O'Brien's Kizlyar.
Who is left
The race is worth $750,000. The early market was headed by:
- Pinhole (Chris Waller / James McDonald, 58kg) – won the Herbert Power Stakes at Caulfield this month, which brought a 2kg Melbourne Cup penalty. He races in a synthetic hoof filler for the first time.
- Aethelwulf (Matthew Smith / Craig Williams, 55.5kg) – well weighted with one of the lighter imposts.
- King Pedro (John O'Shea & Tom Charlton, 57kg) – drew one of the best gates after the scratchings.
- Juja Kibo (Ciaron Maher / Sam Clipperton, 58kg) – drawn widest.
Maher also runs Mr Monaco, Kings Valley and Jennivamoose, while Waller has Valiant King as well as Pinhole.
The punting angle
This race means more to some runners than others. Horses already safely in the Melbourne Cup can use it as a final hit-out, but those sitting outside the cut need to win. That can make some of them ride more aggressively than usual. Look at where each horse sits in the Melbourne Cup order of entry before Saturday, because it tells you how badly connections need the win.
Some winners have gone on to run well in the Cup, but the turnaround is short. Ten days is a tight gap between a hard 2500m run and the 3200m of the Cup.
Our Melbourne Cup horse profiles will be updated after third acceptances on Monday 26 October.
FREE: The 2026 Melbourne Cup Guide – the clues that find Cup winners, our betting plan and the horses to watch.