Melbourne Cup Results: Winner, Finishing Order & Past Results

Point Of Law won the 2026 Melbourne Cup for Ethan Brown and Ciaron Maher, who trained the first three home. Here is the full finishing order, the dividends, recent Cups year by year, and what a result means for your bet once protests, scratchings and deductions come into it.

Melbourne Cup results. Point Of Law won the 2026 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday 3 November, ridden by Ethan Brown for Ciaron Maher, from Zahrann and Juja Kibo. Maher trained all three placegetters, a first in the history of the race. Below is the full finishing order, the dividends, recent results year by year, and what a result actually means for your bet once protests, scratchings and deductions come into it.

🏆 2026 result: Point Of Law (Ethan Brown) won by 3.75 lengths from Zahrann and Juja Kibo, all three trained by Ciaron Maher. Next Cup: Tue 2 November 2027.

2026 Melbourne Cup result

Point Of Law won the 2026 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November, ridden by Ethan Brown and trained by Ciaron Maher. He came from behind to run down the long-time leader Royal Supremacy late in the straight and beat Zahrann by 3.75 lengths, with Juja Kibo a close third. All three placegetters are trained by Maher, the first trainer in the race’s history to train the first three home, and five of his seven runners finished in the first six. It was Brown’s first Melbourne Cup.

The four-year-old started at $7 (Ladbrokes’ final fixed price) and paid $7.80 to win on the tote. He had won the Geelong Cup on 21 October to earn his ballot-exempt start. The track was rated Soft 5, and 23 ran after Asterix was scratched.

Full finishing order

Barriers are as drawn on Saturday 31 October; margins are in lengths behind the winner.

Pos Horse Barrier Jockey Trainer Behind winner
1 Point Of Law 9 Ethan Brown Ciaron Maher Winner
2 Zahrann 11 Ben Melham Ciaron Maher 3.75L
3 Juja Kibo 14 Sam Clipperton Ciaron Maher 3.81L
4 Sons And Lovers 3 Dylan Browne McMonagle Joseph O’Brien 5.06L
5 Royal Supremacy 21 Ben Allen Ciaron Maher 5.16L
6 Shockletz 17 Harry Coffey Ciaron Maher 5.56L
7 James J Braddock 24 Craig Williams Joseph O’Brien 6.06L
8 So You Are 7 Rachel King Bjorn Baker 6.41L
9 Hopewell Rock 15 Zac Lloyd George Boughey 6.66L
10 Middle Earth 1 Mark Zahra Ciaron Maher 7.41L
11 Trustyourinstinct 18 James McDonald Joseph O’Brien 7.71L
12 Knight’s Choice 2 Robbie Dolan John Symons & Sheila Laxon 8.01L
13 Soul Of Spain 5 Tommy Berry Chris Waller 9.01L
14 Zakouma 10 William Pike Grahame Begg 10.51L
15 Enfjaar 8 Ray Dawson Roger Varian 13.26L
16 Kizlyar 20 Beau Mertens Joseph O’Brien 14.26L
17 Mr Monaco 16 Jabez Johnstone Ciaron Maher 14.41L
18 Strictly Business 4 Dean Yendall Thomas Carberry 16.91L
19 Wine Dark Sea 23 Damian Lane Harry Charlton 19.66L
20 Future History 12 Jamie Melham Gregory Hickman 20.91L
21 Onesmoothoperator 13 Declan Bates Tim Fitzsimmons 23.41L
22 Goodie Two Shoes 19 Wayne Lordan Joseph O’Brien 25.66L
23 Vauban 22 Jordan Childs Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott 30.16L

Scratched: Asterix (barrier 6). Our Melbourne Cup tips had Point Of Law as our top pick at $6.50, so the best bet landed; our each-way pick So You Are ran eighth.

2026 Melbourne Cup dividends

Victorian tote dividends for a $1 unit, as declared after the race.

Bet type Runners Dividend
Win Point Of Law $7.80
Place Point Of Law / Zahrann / Juja Kibo $3.10 / $11.00 / $4.40
Quinella 20-15 $141.00
Exacta 20-15 $239.60
Trifecta 20-15-11 $2,644.50
First Four 20-15-11-1 $50,275.10

 

When are Melbourne Cup results declared?

The Melbourne Cup is run on the first Tuesday in November as Race 7 at Flemington, at about 3:00pm AEDT. The next Cup is on Tuesday 2 November 2027. The race takes a little over three minutes, and the first four placings are usually called within a minute of the finish.

Two things can still change a result after the horses cross the line. Protests can be lodged by a jockey or the stewards and are heard immediately, and if upheld, placings are reversed. Photo finishes for the minor placings can take a few minutes to confirm. Until the result is declared official, no payouts are settled.

Recent Melbourne Cup results

The most recent Cups, with the story of each. For the complete honour roll back to 1861, every winner, jockey and trainer, see my Melbourne Cup past winners page.

Year Winner Jockey / note
2026 Point Of Law Ethan Brown; Ciaron Maher trained the first three home, a first in the race
2025 Half Yours Jamie Melham, the second female jockey to win; Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double
2024 Knight’s Choice Won at $91, one of the great Cup boilovers
2023 Without A Fight Mark Zahra, who also completed the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double

 

What the result means for your bet

This is where a 24-horse handicap differs from a normal race, and where plenty of punters get caught out.

Scratchings and deductions. If a horse you have backed at fixed odds is scratched, that bet is refunded. But if a runner is scratched after markets have formed, tote and some place markets apply a deduction to payouts on the remaining runners, so the price you see is not always the price you get. Fixed-odds bets already struck are unaffected.

Protests. If a protest is upheld and the placings change, bets are settled on the amended official result, not the one called over the line. Anyone who collected early on the original placing has it reversed.

Dead heats. In a dead heat your stake is halved and paid at full odds on that half, effectively half your bet at the quoted price. It has happened in Cup-week features before.

Each-way and place terms. With 24 runners, place terms pay the first three. Check whether your bookmaker is offering extra places on Cup day, several do, and it materially changes an each-way bet’s value.

How to follow the result live

The Melbourne Cup is broadcast free-to-air on Network Nine and streamed on 9Now, with full coverage on Sky Racing and Racing.com. Most licensed Australian bookmakers also stream the race in-app to funded accounts, and replays are posted shortly after the race.

Where to bet on the Melbourne Cup

Cup day is the deepest betting market of the Australian year. Ladbrokes, Neds and bet365 all price the full field once it is declared, and typically run extra-place and money-back promotions on the day. See my guide to the best horse racing betting sites in Australia.

Melbourne Cup results FAQs

Who won the most recent Melbourne Cup?

Point Of Law won the 2026 Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November, ridden by Ethan Brown and trained by Ciaron Maher. Zahrann ran second and Juja Kibo third, both also trained by Maher. Half Yours, ridden by Jamie Melham, won in 2025.

When is the next Melbourne Cup?

Tuesday 2 November 2027 at Flemington, the first Tuesday in November, at about 3:00pm AEDT. Placings are usually confirmed within a minute of the finish, unless there is a photo finish or a protest.

What did the 2026 Melbourne Cup winner pay?

Point Of Law paid $7.80 to win and $3.10 to place on the Victorian tote, and started at $7 in Ladbrokes’ final fixed-odds market. The trifecta paid $2,644.50 and the first four $50,275.10.

Has a female jockey won the Melbourne Cup?

Yes, twice. Michelle Payne won on Prince Of Penzance in 2015, and Jamie Melham won on Half Yours in 2025. Melham also became the first female jockey to complete the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double.

What happens to my bet if a horse is scratched?

Fixed-odds bets on a scratched runner are refunded. Tote and some place markets apply a deduction to payouts on the remaining runners, so quoted prices can shorten. Fixed-odds bets already placed on other runners are not affected.

Can the Melbourne Cup result change after the race?

Yes. If a protest is upheld the placings are amended and all bets are settled on the official amended result. Payouts are not final until the result is declared official.

Where can I watch the Melbourne Cup replay?

Replays are available on 9Now, Racing.com and Sky Racing shortly after the race, and most bookmakers keep the vision in-app for funded accounts.

More Melbourne Cup content

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