53 horses racing towards this year's Lexus Melbourne Cup

Hall of Fame trainer Chris Waller continues to have a strong hand in this year’s race leading the way with 9 nominations including last start winner Valiant King, who secured his spot after earning a golden ticket via The Lexus Bart Cummings (2520m). 

His Majesty King Charles III and Ciaron Maher are still hopeful with Gilded Water on a path toward the first Tuesday in November, with Maher pencilling in the Geelong Cup as his next start. 

The Gai Waterhouse AO and Adrian Bott trained Sir Delius stamped his authority at Flemington winning the Group 1 TAB Turnbull Stakes in dominant style with the stable also looking to saddle up Vauban, who will have his third attempt in the race. 

There will be a strong international contingent in this year's Cup with 11 overseas horses remaining in the race, especially with the welcoming of first USA trained horse Parchment Party (USA), by Bill Mott who gained his ticket to Australia after claiming the third Lexus Melbourne Cup Golden Ticket entry from winning the Belmont Gold Cup. 

This weekend’s Caulfield Cup will provide a strong preview to the first Tuesday in November, with 23 of the 29 Caulfield Cup nominations also having accepted for the Lexus Melbourne Cup in the second declarations. 

Current Caulfield Cup favourite Half Yours for father-son duo Tony and Calvin McEvoy looks set to showcase his staying ability ahead of this weekend. Other notable entries for both feature cups include Golden Ticket winners, Deakin (FR), Revelare and Valiant King (GB). Another noteworthy entry is Willie Mullin’s Absurde, who has had an altered path for his journey towards the Cup, using the Group 1 race as a leadup against a group of potential rivals for two weeks later. 

The last horse to complete the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double was Without a Fight in 2023, ridden to victory by Mark Zahra, and trained by Sam and Anthony Freedman. Before that was 12 years prior with Ethereal in 2001, trained by Sheila Laxon. Other notable names to have done the same include Might and Power (1997), Doriemus (1995) and Let’s Elope (1991), who are amongst the 11 horses to complete the double. 

There are just four more Golden tickets races available to gain automatic entry into the Lexus Melbourne Cup including the Caulfield Cup, Geelong Cup, Moonee Valley Gold Cup and the Cox Plate. 

With the countdown to the 165th Lexus Melbourne Cup now well underway, anticipation is building for what is shaping up to be, yet another unforgettable chapter in Australian Racing history. 

Third declarations for the Lexus Melbourne Cup 2025 close on Monday 27 October 2025.  

The full list of second acceptances for the Lexus Melbourne Cup can be found here: 

 Second Acceptances - Lexus Melbourne Cup 2025