As ever, the first Tuesday in November sees the racing focus turn to Flemington Racecourse, Australia. Only a few days after the conclusion of the Breeders’ Cup Festival in the USA, the Aussies lay on a multi-million dollar showstopper of their own. Two miles is the trip, with A$10 million up for grabs, as the runners and riders set out in pursuit of Melbourne Cup glory.
Since making its debut in 1861, “the race that stops a nation” has taken on a level of cultural significance to rival the Aintree Grand National on British shores. A public holiday in Victoria, this is the one event of the year that makes both front and back page news Down Under. UK fans hoping to take in the action will have to set their alarms a little earlier than usual, with the gates set to open at 4 am. Those rising before the crack of dawn will be rewarded with one of the finest spectacles of the global racing year.
Lexus Melbourne Cup: Confirmed Field of Runners and Riders
| Number | Horse | Jockey | Trainers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Al Riffa | Mark Zahra | Joseph O’Brien |
| 2 | Buckaroo | Craig Williams | Chris Waller |
| 3 | Arapaho | Rachel King | Bjorn Baker |
| 4 | Vauban | Blake Shinn | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
| 5 | Chevalier Rose | Damian Lane | Hishashi Shimizu |
| 6 | Presage Nocturne | Stephane Pasquier | Alessandro Botti |
| 7 | Middle Earth | Ethan Brown | Ciaron Maher |
| 8 | Meydaan | James McDonald | Simon & Ed Crisford |
| 9 | Absurde | Kerrin McEvoy | Willie Mullins |
| 10 | Flatten The Curve | Thore Hammer Hansen | Henk Grewe |
| 11 | Land Legend | Joao Moreira | Chris Waller |
| 12 | Smokin’ Romans | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher |
| 13 | Changingoftheguard | Timothy Clark | Kris Lees |
| 14 | Half Yours | Jamie Melham | Tony McEvoy & Calvin McEvoy |
| 15 | More Felons | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller |
| 16 | Onesmoothoperator | Harry Coffey | Brian Ellison |
| 17 | Furthur | Michael Dee | Andrew Balding |
| 18 | Parchment Party | John Velazquez | William Mott |
| 19 | Athabascan | Declan Bates | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton |
| 20 | Goodie Two Shoes | Wayne Lordan | Joseph O’Brien |
| 21 | River Of Stars | Beau Mertens | Chris Waller |
| 22 | Royal Supremacy | Robbie Dolan | Ciaron Maher |
| 23 | Tarranzino | Celine Gaudray | Paul Preusker |
| 24 | Valiant King | Jye McNeil | Chris Waller |
Highlights
The 2025 Melbourne Cup has attracted runners from Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States. The international raiders will arrive in hope but will find a squadron of home talent ready to repel their challenge. Having claimed each of the past four editions, the Australian trainers will hope to keep the prize on home soil once more.
The horse to capture the imagination of Australian punters this year is the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Half Yours. Making only the sixth start of his career, this five-year-old is one of the least exposed runners in the field. Arriving on the back of a first Group 1 success in the Caulfield Cup over 1m4f, he has solid form claims – if he handles the step up to two miles.
The winning trainer from 2021, Chris Waller, has five in the final field, headed by Valiant King. Formerly based in Ireland with Joseph O’Brien, this son of Roaring Lion joined Waller in January 2024. He gained his first win for his new trainer in the Bart Cummings Handicap in October, and backed that up with an unlucky third behind Half Yours in the Caulfield Cup. The mount of Jye McNeil managed only 13th in the 2024 edition but arrives in better form this year.
From a horse formerly based with Joseph O’Brien to one who still is, Al Riffa arrives as one of the class acts in the line-up. A three-time Group 1 winner over trips from seven furlongs to 1m6f, the five-year-old was a smooth four-length winner of the Irish St Leger last time. Twilight Payment finished only third in that Curragh contest before handing O’Brien his second success in this race in 2020. With 2022 and 2023 winning rider Mark Zahra in the saddle, Al Riffa is one of the leading lights among the foreign runners.
The French have drawn a blank in this race since the Alain de Royer-Dupré-trained Americain claimed the 2010 edition. Alessandro Botti’s Presage Nocturne is tasked with ending that wait in 2025. The Wootton Bassett colt has twice won over 1m7f, including on heavy ground, so stamina shouldn’t be an issue. Last time out, he emerged as one of the big eye-catchers in the Caulfield Cup when finishing with a flourish for fourth following a troubled passage.
British interest is increased by Brian Ellison’s Onesmoothoperator, Andrew Balding’s Furthur, and Meydaan from the Simon and Ed Crisford operation. And don’t rule out Willie Mullins. Hot on the heels of his improbable win in the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Turf, the Closutton maestro sends Absurde for a third crack at this prize.
Of the others, Buckaroo, River Of Stars, Vauban, Middle Earth, Royal Supremacy, More Felons, Changingoftheguard, and Land Legend represent the home team. However, all eight were formerly based in Britain or Ireland.
