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A key Melbourne Cup ballot exemption race runs at Flemington on Saturday, and the Races.com.au team have our exclusive Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup 2026 field predictions, tips and best bets on the major Cox Plate Day support act right here.
Offering an official Golden Ticket into the ‘race that stops a nation’ as of last year, the Group 2 $500,000 Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m) has emerged as one of the better staying form races of the Spring Carnival, and this year’s field is elite.
While no galloper has done the Moonee Valley Gold Cup – Melbourne Cup double since the mighty Kingston Rule (1990), there are plenty of livewire chances looking to break the drought starting with the opening leg this weekend as the race towards the $10.2 million big one back at the track on November 3 speeds up.
Currently sitting top of Moonee Valley Gold Cup betting at race sponsor Ladbrokes is the in-form Aethelwulf who has firmed in from $5.50 to $4.80 outright favouritism at time of publish to continue his outstanding spring campaign.
The Matthew Smith-trained galloper won four on the trot including the Newcastle Gold Cup to keep his Melbourne Cup dream alive before the gun Saxon Warrior four-year-old’s streak came to an end in Sydney’s Group 1 The Metropolitan on Epsom Day.
He was short in the markets for that 2400m Randwick assignment and Zac Lloyd switched him back to the fence in a slowly run affair making his finish for second, 1.7 lengths beaten, still full of merit.
Saturday, he gets the services of Craig Williams and only goes up a half-kilo but will need luck drawing out wide in a nasty gate from which he’ll likely be taken forward looking to return to his best.
Pinhole is next best in the markets at $5.50 had he has been gifted a better barrier nine draw with master hoop James McDonald aboard chasing a hat trick.
The British-bred son of Frankel was a narrow BM88 winner at Rosehill before going up in grade at Caulfield to just get there in another blanket finish beating a quality field in the Group 2 Herbert Power over 2400m when making up all the ground to come from nowhere and race right over the top of them.
Oozing upside and coming in confident off those two lead-up victories, Pinhole has plenty of support from the punters despite going up to the 58kg equal topweight here.
The fellow Waller-trained Metrop champion, Juja Kibo, and jockey Sam Clipperton have their work cut out from them with a visitor’s draw in Melbourne chasing the double but remains a key player at $6.
A wide-open affair sees a further two fancies line-up at Moonee Valley Gold Cup odds of under $10 with the rails drawn King Pedro ($6) and Joesph O’Brien‘s Irish raider Kizlyar who is the big, early market mover in from $15 to $7 after gaining a start as the second emergency.
John O’Shea & Tom Charlton’s talented five-year-old went back-to-back in the Stayers Cup and Grafton Cup in the winter before resuming with an eye-catching fourth at big odds behind Cox Plate contender Attrition in Sydney’s Group 2 Hill Stakes (1800m) on October 10.
It was good to see the one-time Metropolitan favourite make his return after a slight setback.
He came from last on the turn for home to finish just 2.26 lengths off the winner and will only improve off that up in trip looking to get his spark back.
The internationals have dominated the recent Moonee Valley Gold Cup results with wins by Okita Soushi (2024) and Onesmoothoperator (2025) and this year’s visitor, Kizlyar, is getting some early love to continue the trend.
The Make Believe gelding brings a strong international form profile into this race, having rounded out his previous campaign with back-to-back victories at Killarney and Royal Ascot.
His Royal Ascot success was particularly noteworthy, with the talented stayer finishing ahead of subsequent Melbourne Cup contender Defiantly.
He has since returned with a runner-up effort in the Group 3 St Leger Trial at the Curragh, indicating he has maintained his form this season.
With just 56kg to carry, a notable drop from his most recent assignment, Kizlyar appears well placed and looks a major threat if he reproduces his best European performances.
Of the longer priced contenders those that standout on exposed form that can add value to the exotics include Maher’s last start Group 3 The Bart Cummings winner Mr Monaco ($11), his stablemate Kings Valley ($13) on the quick back-up off a Caulfield Cup fifth last weekend, and the Gregory Hickman-trained evergreen nine-year-old Future History ($21) coming off good runs in the Group 3 JRA Cup (2nd) and Herbert Power (4th).
The Ladbrokes Moonee Valley Gold Cup 2026 is set to run as Flemington Race 7 at 4:20pm (AEDT).
Moonee Valley Gold Cup 2026 Best Bets
Favourite: No. 12 Aethelwulf
| 12. Aethelwulf (15) J: Craig Williams 55.5kg 11112 T: Matthew Smith | |||
| Recent form sound. Last start sat on the pace when 2nd of 9 in a G2 The Metropolitan at Randwick on October 3 over 2400m, slow going 1.75 len behind Juja Kibo with 55kg at $2.80. Before that favourite; ran on from midfield and won by 2.5 len in the G3 Newcastle Cup on September 18 over 2300m defeating Steel Blaze carrying 54kg at $1.20. Tough draw but rolls forward and can bounce back. | |||
Each Way Danger: No. 11 King Pedro
Best Roughie: No. 8 Future History
2026 Moonee Valley Gold Cup Same Race Multi Selections
$22 (at time of publish) through Ladbrokes
- Top 2 – No. 12 Aethelwulf
- Top 3 – No. 11 King Pedro
- Top 6 – No. 8 Future History
