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The official Melbourne Cup 2025 barrier draw has been locked in with all 24 Melbourne Cup horses allocated their starting positions for the 165th running of Australia’s most famous race on Tuesday at Flemington Racecourse, so below we take a look at the Melbourne Cup barrier statistics to help you pick the winner!

Race favourite, the Tony & Calvin McEvoy trained Caulfield Cup champion Half Yours, will jump from barrier eight with Jamie Melham sticking in the saddle looking to join Michelle Payne (Prince Of Penzance, 2015) as history’s only female Melbourne Cup winning jockeys.
Viewed in 2008 was the last Melbourne Cup winner successful from the gate and the odds at Ladbrokes.com.au on Half Yours to be the next are currently at $6.50 and firming.
2025 Melbourne Cup Favourite’s Barrier
- No. 14 Half Yours is the 2025 Melbourne Cup favourite drawn barrier 8 which last produced a winner with Viewed (2008).
Last year’s Melbourne Cup winning barrier (5) was drawn this spring by the Japanese raider Chevalier Rose to be ridden by Damian Lane looking to be the first horse from Japan to win the Cup since Delta Blues (2006).
Last Year’s Melbourne Cup Winning Barrier
- Barrier 5 (Knight’s Choice, 2024) – drawn in 2025 by No. 5 Chevalier Rose.
Last spring Knight’s Choice won the 2024 Melbourne Cup in a huge upset from barrier 5.
The last time back-to-back Melbourne Cup winners jumped from the same barrier was in 2012 and 2013 with Green Moon and Fiorente both saluting from gate five.
Most Successful Melbourne Cup Barriers:
- Barrier 11 – 9 wins (last win Americain in 2010) – Drawn in 2025 by No. 12 Smokin’ Romans
- Barrier 5 – 9 wins (last win Knight’s Choice in 2024) – Drawn in 2025 by No. 5 Chevalier Rose
- Barrier 10 – 6 wins (last win Protectionist in 2014) – Drawn in 2025 by No. 24 Valiant King
- Barrier 14 – 6 wins (last win Makybe Diva in 2005) – Drawn in 2025 by No. 21 River Of Stars
- Barrier 8 – 5 wins (last win Viewed in 2008) – Drawn in 2025 by No. 14 Half Yours
Barriers eleven and five are the equal most successful in Melbourne Cup history producing nine winners each since 1924 with Americain (barrier 11 in 2010) and Knight’s Choice (barrier 5 in 2024) the latest.
This year barrier 11 belongs to one of the two nine-year-old veterans in the field, Smokin’ Romans, out to become the oldest Melbourne Cup winner in history with Ben Melham booked for the ride.
This year barrier 5 belongs to the Japanese visitor Chevalier Rose.
Valiant King ran 13th in last year’s race from wide out in barrier 21 but returns as the current $7.50 second favourite with the now Waller trained import drawn gate 10 with Jye McNeil to ride.
The six of the past seven Melbourne Cup winners all jumped from a double-digit barrier.
Prior to Knight’s Choice (barrier 5 in 2024), Rekindling (barrier 4 in 2017) was the last Melbourne Cup winner to jump from a single-digit gate.
Outside 2025 Melbourne Cup Barrier
- Barrier 24 drawn in 2025 by No. 13 Changingoftheguard
The last Melbourne Cup winner to jump from the outside barrier was Brew from gate 22 in 2000.
This year the outside gate, barrier 24, was drawn by the Kris Lees trained Changingoftheguard who is a 100/1 outsider for jockey Tim Clark.
Longest Drought from a Melbourne Cup Barrier
- Barrier 7 hasn’t produced a Melbourne Cup winner since 1924 – Drawn in 2024 by English raider No. 17 Furthur.
Quirky Melbourne Cup Barrier in 2025
- No.5 Chevalier Rose – Barrier 5
- No. 20 Goodie Two Shoes – Barrier 20
Two horses in this year’s Melbourne Cup field drew the same barrier as their saddlecloth numbers with Chevalier Rose (5) from Japan and Goodie Two Shoes (20) from Ireland.
The 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup runs as Flemington Race 7 at 3:00pm (AEDT) on Tuesday November 4.
Melbourne Cup Barrier History
| Barrier | Number of winners | Last winner |
| 1 | 5 | Prince Of Penzance (2015) |
| 2 | 3 | Twilight Payment (2020) |
| 3 | 3 | Media Puzzle (2002) |
| 4 | 5 | Rekindling (2017) |
| 5 | 9 | Knight’s Choice (2024) |
| 6 | 5 | Light Fingers (1965) |
| 7 | 1 | Blackwood (1924) |
| 8 | 5 | Viewed (2008) |
| 9 | 4 | Efficient (2007) |
| 10 | 5 | Protectionist (2014) |
| 11 | 8 | Americain (2010) |
| 12 | 2 | Foxzami (1949) |
| 13 | 4 | Gold Trip (2022) |
| 14 | 6 | Makybe Diva (2005) |
| 15 | 1 | Silver Knight (1973) |
| 16 | 4 | Without A Fight (2023) |
| 17 | 5 | Almandin (2016) |
| 18 | 1 | Verry Elleegant (2021) |
| 19 | 6 | Cross Counter (2018) |
| 20 | 2 | Empire Rose (1988) |
| 21 | 5 | Vow And Declare (2019) |
| 22 | 2 | Gurner’s Lane (1982) |
| 23 | 3 | Brew (2000) |
| 24 | 3 | Gala Supreme (1973) |
| 14. Half Yours (8) J: Jamie Melham53kg 15141T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy | ||
| 20. Goodie Two Shoes (20) J: W M Lordan51.5kg 1113xT: Joseph O'Brien | ||
| 7. Middle Earth (13) J: Ethan Brown54.5kg 50903T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 21. River Of Stars (14) J: Beau Mertens51.5kg x7802T: Chris Waller | ||
| 23. Torranzino (18) J: Celine Gaudray51kg 80821T: Paul Preusker | ||
| 4. Vauban (2) J: Blake Shinn56.5kg x3650T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | ||
| 1. Al Riffa (19) J: Mark Zahra59kg x4211T: Joseph O'Brien | ||
| 9. Absurde (4) J: Kerrin McEvoy53.5kg 2x3x7T: Willie Mullins | ||
| 13. Changingoftheguard (24) J: Tim Clark53kg 82106T: Kris Lees | ||
| 8. Meydaan (22) J: James McDonald54kg 05239T: Simon & Ed Crisford | ||
| 17. Furthur (7) J: Michael Dee52kg 52516T: Andrew Balding | ||
| 3. Arapaho (15) J: Rachel King56.5kg 36408T: Bjorn Baker | ||
| 10. Flatten The Curve (17) J: Thore Hammer-Hansen53.5kg 1411xT: Henk Grewe | ||
| 12. Smokin' Romans (11) J: Ben Melham53.5kg 72948T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 22. Royal Supremacy (21) J: Robbie Dolan51kg 11215T: Ciaron Maher | ||
| 24. Valiant King (10) J: Jye McNeil51kg 3x013T: Chris Waller | ||
| 15. More Felons (23) J: Tommy Berry53kg x0944T: Chris Waller | ||
| 6. Presage Nocturne (9) J: Stephane Pasquier55.5kg 13x34T: Alessandro Botti | ||
| 18. Parchment Party (3) J: John R Velazquez52kg 2311xT: William I Mott | ||
| 19. Athabascan (1) J: Declan Bates51.5kg x0002T: John O'Shea & Tom Charlton |
CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ABOUT TO LOSE.
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
