The Melbourne Cup is Australia's most famous horse race, run over 3200m at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November. Known as "the race that stops a nation", it is a Group 1 handicap that draws a global field of stayers and the attention of the entire country.
The Cup is the centrepiece of the Flemington Spring Carnival and the Melbourne Cup Carnival week. As a staying handicap over two miles, it rewards genuine stamina, a good barrier, and the right weight, and it regularly attracts international raiders alongside the best Australian and New Zealand stayers. Its handicap conditions mean lightly weighted improvers can beat the topweights, which is a big part of the race's enduring appeal to punters.
First run in 1861, the Melbourne Cup has grown into a public holiday in Victoria and a fixture of Australian culture. Famous winners include Phar Lap, Makybe Diva (a three-time winner) and a growing list of internationally trained champions.
Our latest tips and analysis for the Melbourne Cup:
Tempted is our best bet in the Group 1 Champions Sprint on the final day of the Flemington carnival, with Aeliana and Cosmic Crusader a strong pair in the Champions Stakes.
Sequinned is our best bet in the Group 3 Red Roses Stakes on Oaks Day, while De Armas gets the nod in the Group 1 Crown Oaks and Tavi Time is the value in the Chester Manifold.
Point Of Law is the horse to beat in the 2026 Melbourne Cup, but Hopewell Rock is our each-way best bet at a price that still has some value in it.
He's Tru Blue gets the blinkers on and is our best bet at Doomben on Melbourne Cup Day, with Another Cashie the pick in Race 8.
