The Victoria Racing Club has opened nominations for the 166th running of the Melbourne Cup (3200m), set to take place at Flemington on November 3. A total of 101 horses have been entered.
While the overall number of nominations has seen a slight decrease compared to recent years, there’s a notable surge in international interest, with 23 horses hailing from England, Ireland, Japan, and the USA.
For comparison, the 2025 race attracted 120 nominations, including 19 international entries, while 2024 saw 123 nominations with 20 from overseas, and 2023 had 132 nominations with 15 international contenders. In 2022, a significantly larger 186 nominations were received, featuring 43 international entries, though entries were taken a month earlier that year.
Defending his title is last year’s victor, Half Yours, a triumph that marked a career highlight for the father-and-son training team Tony and Calvin McEvoy.
The McEvoy stable has also nominated Nearco Frod and Yellow Jersey, in addition to Half Yours, who is slated to commence his Cup campaign in the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday week.
Ciaron Maher is aiming for a second Cup victory with 14 horses entered, while Chris Waller, the trainer behind Verry Elleegant’s 2021 win, has put forward 12 contenders for the first Tuesday in November. His entries include Aeliana, River Of Stars, and Soulcombe, the latter having recently made his first start since finishing second to Without A Fight in the 2023 Cup last Saturday.
Joseph O’Brien, a two-time winner of the race, boasts the largest contingent of international runners with 11 horses. Among them are last year’s runner-up Goodie Two Shoes and Defiantly, who secured a ballot exemption by winning the Prix Kergorlay at Deauville.
Aidan O’Brien is seeking his inaugural Melbourne Cup win, a quest he embarked upon in 2006 when Yeats finished seventh in ‘the race that stops a nation’.
The Epsom Derby winner, Christmas Day, leads O’Brien’s charge, aiming to improve on the second-place finishes of Johnannes Vermeer (2017) and Tiger Moth (2020), both of whom were defeated by Joseph O’Brien’s previous winners, Rekindling and Twilight Payment.
Last year’s 2024 winner, Knight’s Choice, is nominated after missing the race in the previous year due to strangles. Middle Earth, a placegetter last year, and Okita Soushi, who also placed in 2024, are both entered for another attempt.
Nicky Henderson has nominated the highly regarded UK hurdler, now a successful flat performer, Constitution Hill, for the race.
Constitution Hill will take another step towards a Melbourne campaign by competing in the Group 3 September Stakes at Kempton Park over 2400m.
Leigh Jordon, VRC Chief Racing Officer, commented on the nominations, stating that the depth once again underscores the Melbourne Cup’s global standing. “From the reigning champion Half Yours and some of Australia’s leading trainers, to a strong international contingent and the return of a Japanese-trained horse for the 20th anniversary of Delta Blues’ historic victory in 2006, there are plenty of compelling stories already emerging ahead of the first Tuesday in November,” Jordon said.
Further opportunities for horses to earn ballot exemption at Flemington include the Group 3 Archer Stakes (2500m) on September 12, and the Group 3 Bart Cummings (2500m) on October 3. The Group 1 Cox Plate (2040m) and the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) on October 24 also offer exemptions.
Other significant ballot-exempting races include the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) and the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m), both scheduled for next month.
Horses that have already secured their place in the Cup through winning a golden ticket include Zakouma, Tawny Port, and Defiantly.
The deadline for late entries is September 8, with the weights to be announced on September 17. For those looking to back a potential winner, exploring the various Australian betting sites for the latest racing odds is a popular choice.
