First acceptances for the time-honoured Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) closed on Tuesday with 85 spring stayers remaining including the Chris Waller trained favourite Buckaroo.

Racing Victoria took opening acceptances for both the Caulfield Cup to run on October 18 and The Valley’s Group 1 $6 million Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) which is down to 57 and runs a week later.

2025 Caulfield Cup First Acceptances: Quick Glance

• 85 first acceptances taken (down from 146 at nomination stage)
• Last year’s runner-up Buckaroo the outright $6 favourite through Ladbrokes.com.au
• 22 remaining for Chris Waller chasing his third trophy
• 16 for last year’s winning trainer Ciaron Maher led by Middle Earth ($13)
• 4 international entries remain (down from 12 at nomination stage)

Waller is a two-time Caulfield Cup winning trainer having saluted with his subsequent Melbourne Cup winning mare, the ill-fated Verry Elleegant in 2020, and again in 2022 with Durston.

The master horseman remains in the mix for his third trophy with 22 first acceptors including the all-in favourite Buckaroo.

The Fastnet Rock seven-year-old is a big early mover in futures Caulfield Cup betting slashed from $11 into $6 through Ladbrokes.com.au following his eye-catching spring return when third to the brilliant Treasurethe Moment in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m).

Buckaroo was runner-up behind Duke De Sessa in last year’s quinella and there’s plenty of money coming for him to go one better in the 2025 Caulfield Cup results.

The other best fancied from the Waller contingent are five-length Australian Derby winning filly Aeliana ($9) who was huge in her four-year-old debut when runner-up to her star stablemate Via Sistina in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) and last year’s third placegetter Land Legend ($15).

After originally attracting 12 international nominees, there are just four raiders remaining in Caulfield Cup contention out to be the first Northern Hemisphere trained winner of the event since Japan’s Mer De Glace (2019).

The internationals still in contention are the Presage Nocturne ($26) from France, Japanese trained mare Golden Snap ($26), Willie Mullins trained two-time Melbourne Cup performed Absurde ($34), and Frankel five-year-old Meydaan ($34) for Simon & Ed Crisford.

Gai Waterhouse won the Caulfield Cup back in 2010 with Descarado and chases her first in partnership with Adrian Bott with the stable paying first acceptances for a trio of runners.

They have the current $8 second favourite Vauban, a two-time disappointing in the Melbourne Cup when prepared overseas, whose first-up second in Sydney’s Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) last Saturday put the writing on the wall for a big spring ahead.

The other Waterhouse/Bott runners are smart grey mare Alalcance ($26) and nicely bred Frankel entire Sir Delius ($15) who firmed in from an earlier quote of $26 after running second only a neck off the upset winner Lindermann in the Chelmsford.

Last year’s winning trainer Ciaron Maher has a strong hand numbers-wise with 16 remaining hopefuls led by his import Middle Earth ($13).

Maher also won in 2016 with his class mare Jameka.

Click here to view the full list of 2025 Caulfield Cup first acceptances.

Caulfield Cup second acceptances close at midday on Tuesday September 23.

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