These two men will train half the Melbourne Cup field
The 2026 Melbourne Cup is shaping as a match race between one of Australia’s leading trainers, and an overseas raider who has done it twice before.
Ciaron Maher is largely flying the flag for the Aussies and looks set to saddle up eight runners in the $10 million Flemington feature race next Tuesday.
Horse trainers Joseph O’Brien and Ciaron Maher dominate the 2026 Melbourne Cup field. Getty
But champion Irish horseman Joseph O’Brien will prepare five runners in the hope of taking the coveted Cup home for a third time.
O’Brien won the great race in 2017 (Rekindling) and 2020 (Twilight Payment) and initially nominated a total of 11 horses for this year’s 3200m contest.
As of Monday, it looks like O’Brien will be represented in the race by Defiantly, Sons And Lovers, Trustyourinstinct, Goodie Two Shoes, and James J Braddock.
The final field of 24 runners will be confirmed on Saturday following the Victoria Derby.
Maher is O’Brien’s biggest threat to winning the Cup, with the leading Aussie trainer likely to have Mr Monaco, Shockletz, Point Of Law, Middle Earth, Royal Supremacy, Saint George, and Zahrann in the final field. Land Legend is sitting on the bubble and may yet also squeeze in, making it a possible eight runners for the Maher stable.
Maher won the Melbourne Cup in 2022 with Gold Trip.
The 45-year-old is poised to break the record set by trainer Rob Hickmott in 2013, who saddled up six horses in that year’s race that stops the nation.
Between he and O’Brien, the two men look like having 13 runners in the field - more than half.
Geelong Cup winner Point Of Law ($6.50) is the Melbourne Cup favourite as of Monday, while Juja Kibo ($15) cemented his spot in the field with victory in the Moonee Valley Gold Cup on Saturday.
“They seem to be coming together at the right time,” Maher said over the weekend of his Melbourne Cup hopefuls.
“They’re going well, they’re in their right races and the team are doing a great job... I’m very proud.”
Cox Plate place getters Aeliana (left) and Birdman (middle) won’t contest the Melbourne Cup. Getty Images
Top Sydney trainer Chris Waller has all but ruled out one of his top chances in this year’s Melbourne Cup.
Aeliana is still seventh in the order of entry as of Monday, but Waller says he will withdraw her from the field after running a brave third in Saturday’s Cox Plate.
“It is very unlikely we will run in the Melbourne Cup,” Waller told Big Sports Breakfast radio.
"I think she is still maturing, she is still not a big robust horse yet, and she might never be.
“But while she is still in that phase where she is still probably filling out and growing I would be reluctant to run in a Melbourne Cup with 58kg.”
Waller is also poised to withdraw Cox Plate runner-up Birdman in favour of running him at Flemington later during Cup week.
He will still be represented in the Melbourne Cup by Soul Of Spain ($51) and Asterix ($101).
Possible Melbourne Cup starting field
Defiantly (Joseph O’Brien), Mr Monaco (Ciaron Maher), Zakouma (Grahame Begg), Shockletz (Ciaron Maher), Point Of Law (Ciaron Maher), Juja Kibo (Ciaron Maher), Sons And Lovers (Joseph O’Brien), Stinger Glass (Yasuo Tomomichi), Trustyourinstinct (Joseph O’Brien), Goodie Two Shoes (Joseph O’Brien), Middle Earth (Ciaron Maher), James J Braddock (Joseph O’Brien), Vauban (Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott), Knight’s Choice (John Symons and Sheila Laxon), Strictly Business (Thomas Carberry), Royal Supremacy (Ciaron Maher), Enfjaar (Roger Varian), Wine Dark Sea (Harry Charlton), Saint George (Ciaron Maher), Asterix (Chris Waller), Soul Of Spain (Chris Waller), Onesmoothoperator (Tim Fitzsimmons), Zahrann (Ciaron Maher), Hopewell Rock (George Boughey)
