The race that stops the nation returns to Flemington today, with 24 local and international runners chasing a share of $10 million and a place in history. Heavy rain has set the stage for a wet and unpredictable Melbourne Cup, with favourite Half Yours looking to complete the rare Caulfield–Melbourne Cup double.
The race that stops the nation returns to Flemington today, where 24 horses will charge over 3200 metres for a share of $10 million. The 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup is shaping up to be one of the wettest in recent memory, with steady rain across Melbourne leaving the track rated between a Soft 7 and Heavy 8.
Among the contenders, Half Yours and Joseph O’Brien’s Al Riffa lead the market as the two favourites. The former, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy and ridden by Jamie Melham, the Caulfield Cup winner is chasing the rare Melbourne–Caulfield Cup double – a feat last achieved by Ethereal in 2001.
A victory would also make Melham only the second woman in history to win the Cup, following Michelle Payne’s breakthrough in 2015.
The field is a mix of proven locals and high-profile international runner. Despite the heavy conditions, most runners are expected to start, with track officials confident Flemington’s drainage will keep it in the soft range.
Creating the Cup
The 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup, valued at a hefty $600,000, is not quickly nor easily made. It demands more than 250 hours of skilled labour, beginning up to eight months before the race. This year’s trophy features 1.69kg of 18ct yellow gold, sourced entirely from Australian mines, specifically the Newcrest Mining Cadia mine in New South Wales.
Even the trophy’s base has a local touch, being fashioned from Western Australian jarrah timber.
The cup, which has been on a 150-day tour of Australia in the leadup to the race, must be handled with gloves until it is handed over to the winning owner.
So what happens on Tuesday if a syndicate of owners wins the top prize? Well, smaller replicas can be purchased and handmade to order by W.J. Sanders, ABC Bullion’s sister company.
What to know about the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup
When is it on?
The 2025 Melbourne Cup will be run on Tuesday 4 November at Flemington Racecourse in Melbourne.
It’s the seventh race on the card, starting at 3 pm AEDT.
Local start times:
- 3 pm AEDT – Victoria, NSW, Tasmania, ACT
- 2:30 pm ACDT – South Australia
- 2 pm AEST – Queensland
- 1:30 pm ACST – Northern Territory
- 12 pm AWST – Western Australia
- 5 pm NZDT – New Zealand
Prize money
This year’s total prize pool sits at $10 million, with $4.4 million awarded to the winner. Payouts extend down to twelfth place.
Weather forecast
The Bureau of Meteorology expects 20–40 mm of rain in Melbourne on Monday and up to 10 mm on Tuesday. Track manager Liam O’Keeffe predicts Flemington will be rated a Soft 7 or Heavy 8, depending on how much rain falls on Cup Day. Temperatures are expected around 20 °C.
How to watch
The Nine Network holds the broadcast rights for the 2025 Melbourne Cup All ten races from Flemington will air on Channel Nine and stream live on 9Now.
Who is the favourite?
Half Yours – trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy and ridden by Jamie Melham – is the pre-race favourite. The Caulfield Cup winner is looking to complete the Melbourne–Caulfield Cup double. If Melham wins, she will be only the second female jockey to claim the Melbourne Cup, after Michelle Payne in 2015.
The 2025 Melbourne Cup field
No. | Horse | Barrier | Trainer | Jockey | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Al Riffa (Fr) | 19 | Joseph O’Brien | Mark Zahra | 59 kg |
2 | Buckaroo (GB) | 12 | Chris Waller | Craig Williams | 57 kg |
3 | Arapaho (Fr) | 15 | Bjorn Baker | Rachel King | 56.5 kg |
4 | Vauban (Fr) | 2 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Blake Shinn | 56.5 kg |
5 | Chevalier Rose (Jpn) | 5 | Hisashi Shimizu | Damian Lane | 55.5 kg |
6 | Presage Nocturne (Ire) | 9 | Alessandro Botti | Stephane Pasquier | 55.5 kg |
7 | Middle Earth (GB) | 13 | Ciaron Maher | Ethan Brown | 54.5 kg |
8 | Meydaan (Ire) | 22 | Simon & Ed Crisford | James McDonald | 54 kg |
9 | Absurde (Fr) | 4 | Willie Mullins | Kerrin McEvoy | 53.5 kg |
10 | Flatten The Curve (Fr) | 17 | Henk Grewe | Thore Hammer-Hansen | 53.5 kg |
11 | Land Legend (Fr) | 16 | Chris Waller | Joao Moreira | 53.5 kg |
12 | Smokin’ Romans (NZ) | 11 | Ciaron Maher | Ben Melham | 53.5 kg |
13 | Changingoftheguard (Ire) | 24 | Kris Lees | Tim Clark | 53 kg |
14 | Half Yours (Aus) | 8 | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | Jamie Melham | 53 kg |
15 | More Felons (Ire) | 23 | Chris Waller | Tommy Berry | 53 kg |
16 | Onesmoothoperator (USA) | 6 | Brian Ellison | Harry Coffey | 52 kg |
17 | Furthur (Ire) | 7 | Andrew Balding | Michael Dee | 52 kg |
18 | Parchment Party (USA) | 3 | William Mott | John Velazquez | 52 kg |
19 | Athabascan (Fr) | 1 | John O’Shea & Tom Charlton | Declan Bates | 51.5 kg |
20 | Goodie Two Shoes (Ire) | 20 | Joseph O’Brien | Wayne Lordan | 51.5 kg |
21 | River Of Stars (Ire) | 14 | Chris Waller | Beau Mertens | 51.5 kg |
22 | Royal Supremacy (Ire) | 21 | Ciaron Maher | Robbie Dolan | 51 kg |
23 | Torranzino (NZ) | 18 | Paul Preusker | Celine Gaudray | 51 kg |
24 | Valiant King (GB) | 10 | Chris Waller | Jye McNeil | 51 kg |
