Jockey Craig Williams will ride James J Braddock in this year's Melbourne Cup, despite not having ridden the four-year-old yet. The horse is trained by Joseph O'Brien, who is seeking further Cup success after previous wins with Rekindling and Twilight Payment. Williams won the 2019 Cup with Vow And Declare. He said co-owner Ozzie Kheir pressed him to commit to the ride last month. Co-owner Kevin Blake said the horse has been bouncing since arriving at Werribee from Ireland last week.
An animal welfare group has declared Victoria the deadliest state for racehorses in the last racing season. The Coalition for the Protection of Racehorses says its DeathWatch report recorded 48 horse deaths in Victoria between August 2025 and July 2026. Racing Victoria called the figure misleading and said there were 22 racing fatalities. The industry body said the list included horses that died from colic, paddock accidents and a road accident. The group says it wants greater transparency from racing bodies about horse deaths.
Trainer Ciaron Maher could have eight horses in this year's Melbourne Cup, which would be a third of the entire field and an all-time record. He currently has seven horses inside the top 24 and leads the Victorian metro trainers' premiership. Maher also has a strong spring, including the win of Tempted in the $20 million Everest sprint. The final Melbourne Cup field will be announced at 4:30pm on Saturday, with the barrier draw to follow.
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Point of Law has won the 2026 Geelong Cup, earning a place in next month's Melbourne Cup. The three-year-old colt, favourite for the race, led for much of the 2400-metre contest at Geelong Racecourse on Wednesday. The horse was sold to Australian owners in August after being bred and raced by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Trainer Ciaron Maher claimed his first Geelong Cup win, while jockey Ethan Brown said the horse settled well despite being keen. The race carries $500,000 in prizemoney, with $300,000 going to the winner.
Point of Law, a British three-year-old stallion, won the $500,000 Geelong Cup at Geelong Racecourse on Cup day. The horse was ridden by Ethan Brown and trained by Ciaron Maher. The win gives the horse a golden ticket for direct entry to the Melbourne Cup if its connections accept. Small Fry finished second and Omni Man third. Last year's winner, Onesmoothoperator, finished 11th. Temperatures in the low to mid-20s greeted thousands of racegoers, a sharp contrast to last year's washed-out meeting.
One of the strongest fields in Geelong Cup history is set to contest Wednesday's feature, with a Melbourne Cup golden ticket adding significance. Geelong Racing Club chief executive Luke Rayner says the quality of acceptances is among the best he can remember. He estimates 10 horses among the acceptances sit between 31st and 56th in the Melbourne Cup order of entry. Gates open at 11am, with a crowd expected and more than 5,000 corporate hospitality tickets already sold. Free shuttle buses will run from the Geelong Bus Interchange and South Geelong Station.
Racing Victoria has released stewards findings into the death of Ohope Wins, a runner in the Caulfield Cup. Stewards found no single rider was careless and described the incident as a tragic racing incident, closing the matter with no further action. Ohope Wins could not avoid the fallen horse and sustained a serious injury. Veterinary attention could not save it. Half Yours, last year's Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup winner, is recovering and will be spelled for the rest of the Spring Carnival.
Racing Victoria stewards have cleared all jockeys involved in the fall at the Caulfield Cup that led to the euthanasia of Ohope Wins. Stewards said they could not attribute the incident to the careless actions of any one rider. Five jockeys gave evidence to the inquiry. The stewards found contact between two other horses set off a chain of events that brought down Half Yours and then Ohope Wins. Jye McNeil, who rode Ohope Wins, has been cleared of injury and is expected to ride at the Geelong Cup.
Moe Racing Club held its major fundraiser for Latrobe Regional Health last Sunday, with seven races run in warm spring weather. Temperatures reached 26 degrees around 4pm. Race winners included Go Maggie Mae, Frank Express and Squazeemoto, while a late scratching left punters scrambling before the seventh race. The final race was named the Peter Craighead Memorial Handicap, after the late Latrobe Regional Health chief executive who served from 2008 to 2021. The Moe Cup is set for November 15.
Geelong Racecourse track manager Jimmy Dalton is putting the finishing touches on the racing surface ahead of the Geelong Cup on Wednesday, 21 October. Dalton said the preparation is the result of a 12-month program covering mowing, aeration, nutrient management and weed control. In the final days, he and his team monitor the track around the clock, watching for rain or sprinkler faults. Dalton said the aim is a good, fair surface with even grass cover to keep horses safe. The Cup winner will earn a spot in the Melbourne Cup, held next month.
The W.S. Cox Plate is being run at Flemington Racecourse for the first time in its 106-edition history. Moonee Valley is undergoing a $3 billion redevelopment, with demolition beginning after the 2025 race. Moonee Valley Racing Club expects the race to return to its home course for the 2027/2028 season. The 2026 edition, worth $6 million, is scheduled for Saturday, October 24, with a 5:10pm start and a 12-runner field. The winner's connections will receive $4 million plus trophies.
The South Burnett Race Club has abandoned its Caulfield Cup Day meeting at Wondai before any races could start. Senior jockeys and officials inspected the sand track before Race 1, focusing on three sections. Officials decided after a long inspection and talks with riders that the track was unsuitable for racing. The five-race meeting, which included the Roy and Glenis Radunz Wondai Cup and a qualifier for the Country Stampede at Doomben, was abandoned at 1:45pm. It follows the early abandonment of the winter meeting at the same track on May 30.
Last year's Melbourne Cup winner, Half Yours, went down in a hard fall late in the Caulfield Cup. With about 200 metres left in the 2,400-metre race, the horse appeared to make contact with Kings Valley while in the middle of the pack. Jockey Mark Zahra was thrown into the turf. New Zealand's Ohope Wins also came down after Jye McNeil could not avoid the fallen horse.
Last year's Melbourne Cup winner, Half Yours, went down in a hard fall late in the Caulfield Cup. With about 200 metres left in the 2,400-metre race, the horse appeared to make contact with Kings Valley while in the middle of the pack. Jockey Mark Zahra was thrown into the turf. New Zealand's Ohope Wins also came down after Jye McNeil could not avoid the fallen horse.
The 2026 Everest will start at 4:15pm AEDT on Saturday, October 17, at Royal Randwick in Sydney. The race is the seventh of ten on the day's card. Last year's winner, Ka Ying Rising, returns from Hong Kong and is the short-priced favourite for the 1,200-metre Group 1 race. Local runners, led by Tempted, last year's second-place finisher, hope to beat him. Wet weather in Sydney and a rain-affected track add uncertainty to the 12-horse field.
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The Everest, a $20 million race run at Royal Randwick, is drawing more racing attention than the 150th Caulfield Cup in Melbourne. Both races run on the same afternoon, 60 minutes apart. Jockey Jamie Melham, who rode Half Yours to the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double last spring, will ride Blue Door in The Everest instead. Melbourne traditionalists say the race has pulled the spotlight from classic staying events. Its supporters argue it has energised spring racing.
The South Burnett Race Club will hold its annual Caulfield Cup race meeting at Wondai Racecourse on Saturday, October 17. The meeting coincides with The TAB Everest at Randwick, and interstate races will be shown on screens at the course. The five-race card starts at 1:35pm, with the feature Roy and Glenis Radunz Wondai Cup at 4:05pm. The fashion theme is Country Meets Couture. Admission is $10, and cash is required because there is no EFTPOS on site.
Rodney Hay, a Chinchilla-based trainer, has a strong chance in Saturday's Roy and Glenys Radunz Wondai Cup at the South Burnett Race Club. His horse Villaden, ridden by Hannah Richardson, carries 61kg from a wide gate. Richardson has experience on the Wondai track. Kym Afford's Aces Up, last year's winner, is also in the field. The program includes the Hobbs and Associates Country Stampede Qualifier, which offers a place in a $105,000 final at Doomben on December 5. Hay has three chances in that race.
