Melbourne Cup 2026: start time, full field of 24 and odds as Point Of Law leads Ciaron Maher's seven-horse raid
The A$10.2 million Melbourne Cup starts at 3pm Tuesday at Flemington, 9am in Pakistan. Point Of Law is favourite in a 24-horse field. Full list and odds.
At a glance
- The 166th Melbourne Cup runs at 3pm on Tuesday, November 3, at Flemington. That is 9am in Pakistan and 9:30am in India.
- Point Of Law, in only his sixth career start, is favourite at about $6 to $7 after winning the Geelong Cup.
- Ciaron Maher trains seven of the 24 runners and Ireland's Joseph O'Brien five.
- Prize money totals A$10.2 million, with A$4.5 million to the winner.
- Defiantly was withdrawn after failing a vet inspection; Kizlyar and Future History came into the field.
The 166th Melbourne Cup starts at 3pm on Tuesday, November 3, at Flemington, with 24 horses running 3,200 metres for A$10.2 million in prize money. Point Of Law is the favourite at around $6 to $7. In Pakistan the race goes off at 9am, in India at 9:30am.
The winner collects A$4.5 million. The Cup is race seven on a 10-race card that begins at 10:45am local time and ends at 5:15pm.
When to watch, wherever you are
| Location | Local start time, Tuesday Nov 3 |
|---|---|
| Melbourne | 3pm |
| Beijing, Singapore | 12 noon |
| India | 9:30am |
| Pakistan | 9am |
| UAE | 8am |
| UK, Ireland | 4am |
| New York | 11pm (Monday) |
In Australia it is on Nine and 9Now.
A lightly raced favourite against the weight of history
Point Of Law's rise has been quick. His Geelong Cup win pushed him to the top of the betting, and Tuesday will be only his sixth career start. He carries just 53kg, 4.5kg less than the top weight of 57.5kg, a real help over two miles. The test is experience: few horses have come to this race with so little racing behind them.
The race is a contest between two stables as much as between horses. Melbourne-based Ciaron Maher has seven runners, including Point Of Law, Shockletz, Juja Kibo and Middle Earth. Ireland's Joseph O'Brien, who won with Rekindling in 2017 and Twilight Payment in 2020, has five, led by Trustyourinstinct under James McDonald.
The full field
Odds are a guide from Monday and move with the market. Different bookmakers had some horses a point or two apart.
| No. | Horse | Barrier | Weight | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sons And Lovers | 3 | 57.5kg | Dylan Browne McMonagle | Joseph O'Brien | $18 |
| 2 | Trustyourinstinct | 18 | 57kg | James McDonald | Joseph O'Brien | $7.50 |
| 3 | Knight's Choice | 2 | 56.5kg | Robbie Dolan | John Symons & Sheila Laxon | $34 |
| 4 | Middle Earth | 1 | 56.5kg | Mark Zahra | Ciaron Maher | $15 |
| 5 | Vauban | 22 | 56.5kg | Jordan Childs | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | $51 |
| 6 | Enfjaar | 8 | 56kg | Ray Dawson | Roger Varian | $26 |
| 7 | Royal Supremacy | 21 | 56kg | Ben Allen | Ciaron Maher | $51 |
| 8 | Wine Dark Sea | 23 | 56kg | Damian Lane | Harry Charlton | $41 |
| 9 | Asterix | 6 | 55kg | Jye McNeil | Chris Waller | $61 |
| 10 | Goodie Two Shoes | 19 | 55kg | Wayne Lordan | Joseph O'Brien | $26 |
| 11 | Juja Kibo | 14 | 55kg | Sam Clipperton | Ciaron Maher | $12 |
| 12 | Hopewell Rock | 15 | 54.5kg | Zac Lloyd | George Boughey | $9.50 |
| 13 | Onesmoothoperator | 13 | 54.5kg | Declan Bates | Tim Fitzsimmons | $61 |
| 14 | Soul Of Spain | 5 | 54.5kg | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller | $34 |
| 15 | Zahrann | 11 | 54.5kg | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher | $26 |
| 16 | So You Are | 7 | 54kg | Rachel King | Bjorn Baker | $12 |
| 17 | Future History | 12 | 53.5kg | Jamie Melham | Gregory Hickman | $51 |
| 18 | James J Braddock | 24 | 53.5kg | Craig Williams | Joseph O'Brien | $19 |
| 19 | Kizlyar | 20 | 53.5kg | Beau Mertens | Joseph O'Brien | $41 |
| 20 | Point Of Law | 9 | 53kg | Ethan Brown | Ciaron Maher | $7 |
| 21 | Strictly Business | 4 | 53kg | Dean Yendall | Thomas Carberry | $71 |
| 22 | Mr Monaco | 16 | 52.5kg | Jabez Johnstone | Ciaron Maher | $26 |
| 23 | Zakouma | 10 | 52kg | William Pike | Grahame Begg | $34 |
| 24 | Shockletz | 17 | 51kg | Harry Coffey | Ciaron Maher | $9.50 |
The horses most likely to spoil the favourite's day
Trustyourinstinct is the shortest of the O'Brien runners and has Australia's best-known jockey, though barrier 18 leaves work to do in finding cover. Hopewell Rock, from Britain's George Boughey, and the featherweight Shockletz, carrying 51kg, sit just behind in the market.
Enfjaar comes in with a third placing in the Caulfield Cup, the traditional lead-up, yet was still out at $26. Juja Kibo and So You Are are both on the second line of betting at $12.
Middle Earth has the plum inside draw in barrier 1, while James J Braddock must overcome the widest gate of all, barrier 24.
How the final field took shape
Two horses dropped out late. Stewards withdrew Defiantly on Saturday after a failed vet inspection, and Stinger Glass was scratched over injury risk. Kizlyar, another O'Brien runner, and Future History, ridden by Jamie Melham, came in. Melham won last year's Cup on Half Yours, but her mount this time is one of the long shots at $51.
Riders must meet their weights on the day, and final scratchings can still be made before the race, so check late changes before relying on the table above. GlobeHourly will report the result after the race on Tuesday.
Questions people are asking
What time is the 2026 Melbourne Cup?
It starts at 3pm Melbourne time on Tuesday, November 3, as race seven at Flemington. That is 4am GMT, 8am in the UAE, 9am in Pakistan and 9:30am in India.
Who is the favourite for the 2026 Melbourne Cup?
Point Of Law, trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by Ethan Brown, is the favourite at around $6 to $7 after winning the Geelong Cup.
