Melbourne Cup 2026: 71 First Acceptors, Half Yours and How the Field Is Cut

Melbourne Cup 2026: who is still in after first acceptances

On 29 September 2026 the Victoria Racing Club's first acceptances left 71 of 101 nominations for the A$10.2 million Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m, Flemington, Tuesday 3 November). Only 24 will run, so the field still has a long way to shrink.

The list includes defending champion Half Yours, who galloped at Flemington on Tuesday ahead of Saturday's Group 1 Turnbull Stakes. It also includes 13 overseas-trained horses, up from 11 at this stage last year.

The numbers at a glance

• 71 first acceptors, from 101 nominations
• 13 internationals, from Ireland, England and Japan
• Ciaron Maher: 14 acceptors, the biggest team
• Chris Waller: 9 acceptors
• 24: the maximum final field

Six of the 13 internationals have already arrived in Australia, and the other seven are still in pre-export quarantine abroad. Point Of Law flew out on the same first shipment, but he now trains with Ciaron Maher in Australia, so he is not counted among the 13. Check the VRC list for the latest.

How the Melbourne Cup field of 24 is cut

Think of it as a funnel with several checkpoints. Owners pay a fee and confirm their intention at each stage, so the list shrinks even before any ballot.

1. Nominations: connections enter a horse with a fee, which is why this year began with 101 names.
2. First acceptances (29 September): owners confirm they still want to run. This produced today's 71.
3. Second acceptances (noon, Tuesday 13 October): the field shrinks again.
4. Final declarations and barrier draw: the last cut to 24 comes closer to race day, with emergency reserves waiting in case of scratchings.

Every confirmation costs money. That is why a horse can be on the list today and gone in two weeks, with no ballot involved.

What "ballot" means here

When more than 24 horses are still in on the final day, the VRC ranks them in an order of entry. It works as a ranked list rather than a lottery, and horses at the bottom are "balloted out".

Ballot-exempt winners sit outside the ranking. For the rest, the order depends mainly on each horse's allocated weight plus a benchmark adjustment, and horses with no qualifying "relevant performance" (specified wins and placings since 1 February 2025) are eliminated first. If horses are level on that figure, prize money earned in relevant performances breaks the tie.

Ballot-exempt "golden tickets"

Some horses skip the ballot entirely. Winning a designated ballot-exempt race guarantees a start.

For 2026 the races named by the VRC include the Lexus Bart Cummings (Saturday 3 October), Caulfield Cup (17 October), Geelong Cup (21 October), and the Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Cox Plate (24 October). Overseas races such as the Prix Kergorlay and Belmont Gold Cup also count, and reports say Kergorlay winner Defiantly is already exempt.

Weights: why some horses carry more

The Cup is a handicap. The handicapper assigns each horse a weight, which the jockey and gear must add up to, with lead ballast if needed. Better horses carry more, in theory evening out the contest.

Two rules are worth knowing. The minimum weight is 51kg for horses aged four and older (49kg for three-year-olds). The top weight is meant to be at least 57kg on final declaration, so weights can rise if too few high-rated horses accept.

For a bigger picture of racing's grading, see our explainer on what a Grade 1 or Group 1 race means.

Why 3200m?

The Cup started in 1861 as a two-mile race. When Australia went metric in 1972, it became 3200m, a hair shorter than two miles.

That distance tests stamina and patience. Horses usually settle mid-pack for a long run and then need a strong finish. It is also why many entries are proven stayers, and why so many come from Europe, where long handicaps are common.

The international path: quarantine and scans

Overseas horses cannot simply turn up. Except for New Zealand horses, they must complete a minimum 14-day quarantine in an approved premises in their home country before flying to Australia.

Racing Victoria also requires a CT of the lower limbs before pre-export quarantine (MRI only where CT is not available), submitted at the connections' expense. Horses aimed at the Melbourne Cup then need a CT in Melbourne, even if an MRI was used before travel, and Racing Victoria covers the cost of the Melbourne CT for international participants. Bone scans are used only where the imaging, vet history or inspections point to a higher risk. The Victorian quarantine base is the Werribee International Horse Centre, which has room for 32 horses across three compounds.

This is why "already in Australia" versus "in pre-export quarantine" matters. A horse still abroad has more hurdles left than one settled in Melbourne.

What to watch next

• Saturday: the Turnbull Stakes, a major lead-up with Half Yours nominated.
• 3 to 24 October: the ballot-exempt races, starting with the Lexus Bart Cummings on Turnbull Stakes day. A win means a place in the field.
• 13 October, noon: second acceptances and the next trim.
• Late October: final field and barrier draw.
• 3 November: the Melbourne Cup at Flemington.

The Cup is one of the spring's big international stages. For other big races, see The Everest 2026 and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.

A quick checklist for following along

1. Bookmark the VRC list and check it after each acceptance date.
2. Note which horses are ballot-exempt, since they are safe.
3. Watch the handicap weights, since they feed into the order of entry.
4. Check the overseas horses' quarantine status.
5. Treat the field as final only after the last declarations.