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The 2026 Melbourne Cup nominations have dropped, and this year’s edition of Australia’s most famous race shapes as one of the most globally diverse and talent-packed in recent memory.

A total of 101 stayers have been put forward for the $10.2 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m, with a powerful mix of homegrown stars and international raiders from England, Ireland, Japan and the USA all eyeing Flemington on Tuesday 3 November.

Reigning Cup hero Half Yours headlines the local brigade as Tony and Calvin McEvoy chase back-to-back wins, while Ciaron Maher (14 entries) and Chris Waller (12 entries) again dominate the Australian nominations with deep, high-quality teams.

Half Yours is being kept safe in Melbourne Cup all-in betting at Ladbrokes.com.au paying $11.

It is one of Waller’s strong contingent narrowly installed at the top of the futures Melbourne Cup odds with Aeliana, a mare who completed the Tancred/Ranvet Stakes double in the autumn, at $10 to improve on her dead last fresh in the Winx Stakes as she gets up in trip.

2026 Melbourne Cup Nominations: Quick Glance

• 101 total nominations received for the 166th Melbourne Cup
• 78 Australian-trained stayers and 23 international contenders
• Entries from England, Ireland, Japan and the USA
• Half Yours returns as the defending Melbourne Cup champion
• Ciaron Maher submits 14 nominations as he chases a second Cup
• Chris Waller enters 12 runners, including rising star Aeliana
• Joseph O’Brien leads the internationals with 11 nominees, including golden ticket winner Defiantly and last year’s runner-up Goodie Two Shoes
• Aidan O’Brien nominates five, headlined by Christmas Day, the Epsom Derby winner
• Japan represented by Stinger Glass on the 20-year anniversary of Delta Blues’ historic Cup victory
• Fan favourite Constitution Hill among the northern hemisphere entries
• Golden ticket qualifiers: Zakouma, Tawny Port, Defiantly
• Additional ballot exemption pathways include the Archer Stakes, Bart Cummings, Caulfield Cup, Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Geelong Cup

Ireland’s Joseph O’Brien, already a dual Melbourne Cup winner, leads the overseas assault with 11 runners including Defiantly, who booked his ticket via the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay, and last year’s runner?up Goodie Two Shoes who is currently a $26 chance to return and go one better than her 2.75 length defeat in 2025.

Defiantly is among the early Melbourne Cup favourites at $11 on the equal second line of betting with last year’s champ.

His father Aidan O’Brien adds further firepower, nominating five stayers spearheaded by Christmas Day, the Epsom Derby winner aiming to become the first English Derby champion to contest the Cup since Serpentine.

Japan returns to Flemington 20 years after Delta Blues’ historic triumph, represented this year by Stinger Glass, a proven stayer coming off a strong Diamond Stakes win in Tokyo and currently rated at $15 chance by bookmakers.

Fan favourite Constitution Hill, the champion hurdler turned flat performer, is also among the international entries as he builds toward a potential Cup tilt via the September Stakes at Kempton Park.

Other notable nominees include 2024 Cup winner Knight’s Choice, VRC Oaks heroine Strictly Business, and past Cup placegetters Soulcombe, Okita Soushi, Middle Earth and the aforementioned Goodie Two Shoes.

Another being kept safe in the Melbourne Cup markets is the ATC Derby winner Green Spaces for Bjorn Baker with the now four-year-old set to race second in Saturday’s Group 2 Chelmsford Stakes (1600m) at Randwick.

Several runners have already secured golden ticket exemption into the final field, including Zakouma (Andrew Ramsden), Tawny Port (Belmont Gold Cup) and Defiantly (Prix Kergorlay).

More pathways remain through key spring staying features such as the Lexus Archer Stakes, The Bart Cummings, Caulfield Cup, Moonee Valley Gold Cup and Ladbrokes Geelong Cup, ensuring the road to the first Tuesday in November remains fiercely competitive.

With a reigning champion returning, powerhouse Australian stables well stocked, and a formidable international contingent chasing Cup glory, the 2026 Melbourne Cup nominations set the stage for a blockbuster build-up to Australia’s greatest race.

The full list of 2026 Lexus Melbourne Cup nominations can be found here.

Key 2026 Lexus Melbourne Cup Field & Acceptance Dates