2025 Melbourne Cup

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2025 Melbourne Cup
Melbourne Cup
Flemington-race-course-180-degree.jpg
Flemington Racecourse, location of the race
Location Flemington Racecourse
Melbourne, Australia
Date4 November 2025
Distance3,200 metres
Winning horse Half Yours
Starting price $8
Jockey Jamie Melham
Trainer Tony & Calvin McEvoy
SurfaceGrass
Attendance84,374
  2024
2026  

300 meters to go, Goodie Two Shoes for Ireland led by a length and a quarter, Middle Earth and Half Yours is getting through. Goodie Two Shoes with Half Yours challenging at the clock tower. Half Yours takes the lead from Goodie Two Shoes, Middle Earth, River of Stars. Half Yours is coming clear, for Jamie Kah for the Cups Double. Half Yours the history-maker, won the Lexus Melbourne Cup by three lengths!

Contents

Commentator Matt Hill describes the climax of the race

The 2025 Melbourne Cup, known commercially as the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup, was the 165th running of the Melbourne Cup, an Australian thoroughbred horse race. The race, run over 3,200 metres (1.988 mi), was held on 4 November 2025 at Melbourne's Flemington Racecourse. [1] [2]

The final field for the race was declared on 1 November 2025. [3] The total prize money for the race is A$10 million, a $144,000 increase from 2024. [4] The race was won by Half Yours, ridden by Jamie Melham, the first woman to win since Michelle Payne in 2015. [5]

Field

NumberHorseTrainerJockeyWeight (kg)BarrierPlacing
1Al Riffa (FR) Joseph O'Brien Mark Zahra 59197th
2Buckaroo (GB) Chris Waller Craig Williams 571224th
3Arapaho (FR)Bjorn Baker Rachel King 56.51512th
4Vauban (FR) Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott Blake Shinn 56.526th
5Chevalier Rose (JPN)Hisashi Shimizu Damian Lane 55.5523rd
6Presage Nocture (IRE)Alessandro Botti Stephane Pasquier 55.5919th
7Middle Earth (GB) Ciaron Maher Ethan Brown54.5133rd
8Meydaan (IRE)Simon & Ed Crisford James McDonald 542210th
9Absurde (FR) Willie Mullins Kerrin McEvoy 53.548th
10Flatten The Curve (FR)Henk GreweThore-Hammer Hansen53.51713th
11Land Legend (FR)Chris Waller Joao Moreira 53.51622nd
12Smokin' Romans (NZ)Ciaron Maher Ben Melham 53.51114th
13Changingoftheguard (IRE)Kris Lees Tim Clark 53249th
14 Half Yours Tony & Calvin McEvoy Jamie Melham [6] 5381st
15More Felons (IRE)Chris WallerTommy Berry532318th
16Onesmoothoperator (USA)Brian Ellison Harry Coffey 53616th
17Furthur (IRE)Andrew Balding Michael Dee 52711th
18Parchment Party (USA) William Mott John Velazquez 52320th
19Athabascan (FR)John O'Shea & Tom CharltonDeclan Bates51.5121st
20Goodie Two Shoes (IRE)Joseph O'Brien Wayne Lordan 51.5202nd
21River Of Stars (IRE)Chris WallerBeau Mertens51.5144th
22Royal Supremacy (IRE)Ciaron Maher Robbie Dolan 512115th
23Torranzino (NZ)Paul PreuskerCeline Gaudray51185th
24Valiant King (GB)Chris Waller Jye McNeil 511016th

Previous Melbourne Cup involvement

Horses

Absurde, Land Legend, Buckaroo, Vauban, Onesmoothoperator and Valiant King returned from 2024, where they placed 5th, 8th, 9th, 11th, 12th and 13th respectively. Absurde and Vauban also participated in 2023, placing 7th and 14th respectively, as well as More Felons who placed 12th. Smokin' Romans and Arapaho participated in 2022, placing 7th and 11th respectively. Athabascan was in the field in 2024 but was scratched.

Jockeys

Several former champions raced: three-time champion Kerrin McEvoy (2000, 2016 and 2018), two-time champion Mark Zahra (2022 and 2023), and one-time champions Blake Shinn (2008), Craig Williams (2019), Jye McNeil (2020), James McDonald (2021) and Robbie Dolan (2024). Other jockeys in the field with Cup success included Joao Moreira (2nd in 2016 and 2023), Ben Melham (2nd in 2017), Jamie Melham (3rd in 2020 and 2024, but who won this iteration), Wayne Lordan (3rd in 2019) and Beau Mertens (3rd in 2023). Among the jockeys, only five had not previously participated in the cup: Ethan Brown, Celine Gaudray, Thore-Hammer Hansen, Stéphane Pasquier and John Velazquez.

Trainers

Former winning trainers participating were Joseph O'Brien (2017 and 2020), Gai Waterhouse (2013), Chris Waller (2021) and Ciaron Maher (2022).

See also

References

  1. "Racenet - Australia's Premier Horse Racing News, Form Guides & Tips".
  2. Gardiner, Gilbert (9 April 2025). "Racing Victoria increases 2025 Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup weight scales". The Australian. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  3. 2025 Melbourne Cup field and barrier draw – racenet.com.au. Retrieved 2 November 2025.
  4. "Melbourne Cup Prize Money 2025". racenet.com.au. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
  5. "CUP HISTORY MADE: Female jockey's stunning double as Aussie horse Half Yours upstages rivals". foxsports.com.au. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  6. Guerin, Michael. "From coma to Cup glory: Jockey's remarkable rise to Melbourne Cup victory". NZ Herald.