The countdown to the Melbourne Cup race heats up on Saturday with Flemington host to a ballot-exemption ride into the big one, and Races.com.au are here with our insider 2026 The Bart Cummings tips, field preview and latest betting odds on the all-important Group 3.

Turnbull Stakes Day features a host of key Melbourne spring races including the Group 3 $350,000 The Bart Cummings (2520m) which sees a bumper crop of stayers chasing a free ride into the coveted 24-horse Melbourne Cup field on November 3.

While no horse has done the double since Almandin (2016), there’s always plenty of anticipation around The Bart Cummings results and this year is no different.

Currently markets at Ladbrokes are led by the Chris Waller-trained topweight Wootton Verni who has firmed from $8.50 into six with the previous favourite, Aethelwulf, withdrawn in favour of sticking in Sydney for the Group 2 The Metropolitan (2400m).

He may be giving the weight away to his rivals with 59kg on his back, but the French-bred six-year-old presents rock hard fit fourth-up and showed plenty of fight for his close fifth last time out only 1.5 lengths off Zahrann in the Group 3 Naturalism.

Untested at Flemington and over the trip, he looks like he’ll see out the distance based on his latest victory in the Group 2 Neville Sellwood (2000m) back in March which he won by nearly three lengths on a Soft (7) Rosehill track.

His form is better than it reads on paper, he’s game and proven in the wet so the likely Heavy Flemington course works to his advantage on Saturday making this $101 Melbourne Cup shot a genuine chance to salute for the punters.

It’s a wide-open Bart Cummings field and betting affair this season with a host of other runners all battling for market share including the well-supported Danny O’Brien-trained mare Litzdeel ($6.50).

O’Brien knows what it takes to train a Melbourne Cup winner having done so with Vow And Declare back in 2019, and this dour daughter of Dundeel can certainly stake her claims for a shot at the two-mile classic starting this weekend.

She has winning form up to 2800m so will relish the distance, has a great record at Flemington (5:1-3-0) and brings in some quality form lines from this prep already.

Two back she was second to the consistent grey Saint George at Caulfield over the 2000m before a last start fifth to Shockletz in the Group 3 Lexus Archer Stakes (2500m) here giving weight away to the winner.

Dropping back from 58.5kg in that to just 54kg this weekend is huge, giving her every chance to fly home late and run in the money.

A logjam of next best follow in The Bart Cummings 2026 odds including Ciaron Maher‘s early market mover Piggyback ($7) who scratched out of The Metrop field in favour of this, her ultra-consistent stablemate Jennivamoose ($7) coming off a trio of third placings including in the Lexus Archer and last start runner-up in that same key lead-up Think Giant ($7).

Looking further down the markets at the double-figure fancies there’s a number that could win without surprise including the widely drawn Campaldino ($11) from the Waterhouse/Bott yard, the Waller-trained comeback galloper Soulcombe ($11) who was runner-up in the 2023 Melbourne Cup before spending over two years on the sidelines and Mr Monaco ($11).

Campaldino faded late in the Naturalism to run 12th but is a proven two-mile performer in last year’s Brisbane Cup so gets the chance to outstay them up in trip now.

He’s also versatile on all going having won Brisbane’s Group 3 Premiers Cup on Heavy going before his 3200m victory on Good ground, so where a few others could struggle this weekend at HQ, he’ll get through it.

Just longer at $13 and shaping up as a terrific exotics inclusion for The Bart Cummings bets this year meanwhile is the Dan O’Sullivan-trained Berkeley Square.

With outstanding form in the wet and ability in the past at Flemington, the Territories seven-year-old ticks a few boxes to improve on his Naturalism 10th and has carted big weights to victory here not long ago.

The Bart Cummings 2026 is scheduled as Flemington Race 7 at 3:50pm (AEST) on Saturday’s 10-race card.

2026 The Bart Cummings Tips

Favourite: No. 1 Wootton Verni

Best Bet: No. 11 Litzdeel

Best Roughie: No. 2 Berkeley Square

2026 The Bart Cummings Same Race Multi Selections

$20 (at time of publish) through Ladbrokes

• Top 4 – No. 1 Wootton Verni
• Top 2 – No. 11 Litzdeel
• Top 6 – No. 2 Berkeley Square

Latest The Bart Cummings 2026 Odds