Point Of Law wins the 2026 Melbourne Cup as Ciaron Maher trains the first three home
Favourite Point Of Law, a former royal horse, ran down Royal Supremacy to win the A$10.2m Melbourne Cup, with Maher-trained Zahrann and Juja Kibo next.
At a glance
- Point Of Law, the favourite, won the 166th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, November 3, ridden by Ethan Brown.
- Trainer Ciaron Maher had the first three: Zahrann was second and Juja Kibo third. Ireland's Sons And Lovers was fourth.
- The British-bred stayer, formerly owned by King Charles, won at only his sixth start and earned A$4.5 million.
- Maher's stablemate Royal Supremacy led by a long way, by as much as 20 lengths by some counts, before Point Of Law ran him down in the straight.
- Asterix was scratched on race morning after stewards found medication had been applied to the horse.
Point Of Law, the favourite and a former royal horse, won the 166th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, November 3. He ran down his long-time leader and stablemate Royal Supremacy in the straight to give trainer Ciaron Maher a historic one-two-three. Zahrann finished second and Juja Kibo third, both also from Maher's stable. Ireland's Sons And Lovers, trained by Joseph O'Brien, was fourth.
Ethan Brown rode the British-bred stayer, who was having only his sixth career start. The win earns his connections A$4.5 million from a total purse of more than A$10 million, the richest handicap in the world. The race went off at 3pm in Melbourne, 9am in Pakistan.
How Point Of Law reeled in a 20-length leader
The race looked to be going to someone else for most of its 3,200 metres. Royal Supremacy, another of Maher's seven runners, took the lead early from Vauban and kept going. By halfway he was about 10 lengths clear of Kizlyar and Vauban. Some watchers had the gap at close to 20 lengths further down the back straight.
He still led at the top of the straight with 600 metres to go. But the soft track (rated Soft 5) and the long early pace caught up with him. Brown had kept Point Of Law in the pack, and the favourite came home strongly to take control in the final furlong. Maher's other two runners followed him past the tiring leader.
| Place | Horse | Jockey | Trainer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Point Of Law (GB) | Ethan Brown | Ciaron Maher |
| 2 | Zahrann | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher |
| 3 | Juja Kibo | Sam Clipperton | Ciaron Maher |
| 4 | Sons And Lovers | Dylan Browne McMonagle | Joseph O'Brien |
Jockeys for places 2-4 as listed in the final field.
From the royal stables to Flemington
Point Of Law was once owned by King Charles, and he arrived at Flemington with very little racing behind him. He had never run further than about 2,850 metres. His form, though, kept improving. He won the Geelong Cup first-up for Maher on October 21, with Brown in the saddle, and that win made him favourite at around $7 for the Cup.
Lightly raced horses rarely win the Cup. Most winners have had many more runs against strong stayers. Winning at only his sixth start makes Point Of Law an unusual Cup winner.
For Maher it is a second Melbourne Cup, after Gold Trip in 2022. He ran seven of the 24 horses that were declared. Training the first three home in the Cup is a feat few trainers ever manage.
Asterix scratched over race-morning medication
The field was cut to 23 on Tuesday morning when stewards scratched Asterix, trained by Chris Waller, after finding that medication had been applied to the horse on race day. Australian rules forbid any treatment on race morning. Waller called it a simple mistake made in the heat of the moment. Chief steward Rob Montgomery accepted it was an honest error but said it had big consequences for the horse's connections, who are from New Zealand. Waller still had a runner, Soul Of Spain.
Last year's winner, Half Yours, did not run this year.
Prize money down the field
| Finish | Prize (A$) |
|---|---|
| 1st | 4.5 million |
| 2nd | 1.1 million |
| 3rd | 560,000 |
| 4th | 360,000 |
| 5th | 240,000 |
| 6th to 12th | 160,000 each |
| 13th to 24th | 100,000 each |
With first, second and third, Maher's stable earned more than A$6 million in prize money from one race. His connections had not announced the horse's next target by Tuesday afternoon.
