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Overview
This page was last updated on February 13, 2026
The 2026 Australian Cup runs on Saturday March 28 at Flemington Racecourse as one of the time-honoured features of the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.Â
- Race Date: 28/03/2026
- Race Status: Group 1
- Race Conditions: Weight-for-Age; 3YOs & Upwards
- Race Venue: Flemington, VIC
- Prize Money: $2,000,000
- Distance: 2000m
Australian Cup 2026 Odds
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1. Tom Kitten
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2. Buckaroo
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3. Observer
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4. Birdman
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5. Pride Of Jenni
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6. Light Infantry Man
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7. Apulia
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8. Arcora
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9. Leica Lucy
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10. Planet Red
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11. Trinity College
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12. Lindermann
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13. Augustus
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14. Kingswood
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15. Sabaj
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16. Attica
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17. Desert Hero
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18. Onesmoothoperator
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19. Wootton Verni
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20. Globe
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2026 Australian Cup Results
Stay tuned for the official 2026 Australian Cup results and finishing order at Flemington on Saturday March 28, 2026.
- 1st: TBD
- 2nd: TBD
- 3rd: TBD
Winning Margin: TBD
Winning Time: TBD
Australian Cup Tips
Stay tuned for our insider Australian Cup 2026 Tips and Same Race Multi Selections on the $2 million showdown this autumn.
Australian Cup News
- 2026 Australian Guineas Results: Observer Too Good, Wins Again
- 2026 Blamey Stakes Results: Birdman Flies into Australian Cup Contention
- 2025 Australian Cup Results: Light Infantry Man Wins in 2 Length Upset
- Pride Of Jenni Heads 2025 Australian Cup Field & Odds
- Pride Of Jenni Wins Peter Young; 2025 Queen Elizabeth Stakes Ultimate Target
The Australian Cup is a Group 1 weight-for-age race held each March during the Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.
The event was previously held on Flemington’s Super Saturday alongside the Newmarket Handicap (1200m) for the sprinters in mid-March.
Ahead of the 2023 edition the Australian Cup was moved to its own feature race meeting later in the month with prize money boosted to $3 million.
In 2025 the Australian Cup runs at the end of March at Flemington offering a reduced $2.5 million in stakes.
In 2026 the Australian Cup will offer $2 million in total prize money.Â
The race is a 2000m event ideal for strong staying horses. The most successful recent lead-up race to the Australian Cup is the Group 2 Peter Young Stakes (1800m), a double last completed by Fiorente (2014).
The 2022 Australian Cup form was franked with the winning mare Duais winning Sydney’s Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) next-up. The runner-up Think It Over further franked the form with a win in that year’s Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) during ‘The Championships’ at Randwick.
The All-Star Mile (1600m) held at various Melbourne tracks is the key lead-up to the Australian Cup.
Cascadian (2nd at The Valley in 2023 and 3rd at Caulfield in 2024) followed by Light Infantry Man (3rd in 2025) are the latest All-Star Mile graduates to win the Australian Cup.
Cascadian (2023-24) became the first dual Australian Cup champion since Harlem (2018-19).
The 2024 Australian Cup form was franked with the runner-up, Pride Of Jenni, going on to win the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes in Sydney by an emphatic 6.5 lengths at her next start.
Pride Of Jenni returned as favourite in the 2025 Australian Cup but faded on the home turn finishing second last some 15 lengths beaten as stablemate Light Infantry Man scored an upset.
2026 Australian Cup Betting
The current Australian Cup 2026 betting odds will be open at Ladbrokes.com.au and market links will also be provided here at Races.com.au as soon as betting on the Group 1 feature is open.
The latest favourites in Australian Cup betting to win were Humidor ($4.20 in 2017) and Cascadian ($4 in 2023).
Australian Cup Field
2026 Australian Cup Form
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2026 AUSTRALIAN CUP FORM
2026 Australian Cup Nominations
The 2026 Australian Cup nominations close the Monday before race day.
The Australian Cup 2026 nominations close on Monday March 23, 2026. Â
2026 Australian Cup Field
The Australian Cup field attracts a line-up of the season’s best weight-for-age stayers, many of which ran in the previous season’s spring features like the Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup and is released the Wednesday before Australian Cup Day.
The 2026 Australian Cup field and barriers will be published below on Wednesday March 25, 2026, as soon as released by Racing Victoria.
Australian Cup History
First won by Barwon in 1861, the Australian Cup was originally a 3600m test of endurance until 1943 when the distance was decreased to 3500m. Twenty years later the distance was further decreased to 3200m, however the following year in 1964 the race became a 2000m event.
The fastest finishing time for the Australian Cup is held by the legendary Makybe Diva. In 2005, the mare finished the race in 1 minute 58.7 seconds. In 2007 the Australian Cup changed locations by being temporarily raced at Caulfield Racecourse.
In 2020 the Lindsay Park training operation celebrated their 10th Australian Cup success with Fifty Stars.
Ahead of the 2023 race the Australian Cup date was moved to late March and prize money increased from $1.5 million to $3 million before a reduction to $2.5 million ahead of the 2025 edition.
Prize money for the Australian Cup was further reduced ahead of the 2026 edition to $2 million.
Cascadian went back-to-back in the Australian Cup results in 2023 and 2024.
Australian Cup Previous Race Winners
| Year | Place | Horse | Time |
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| 2026 Australian Cup |
1st | TBD | TBD |
| 2nd | TBD | ||
| 3rd | TBD | ||
| 2025 Australian Cup |
1st | Light Infantry Man | 2 minutes 00.41 seconds |
| 2nd | Deny Knowledge | ||
| 3rd | Zardozi | ||
| 2024 Australian Cup |
1st | Cascadian | 2 minutes 00.05 seconds |
| 2nd | Pride Of Jenni | ||
| 3rd | Atishu | ||
| 2023 Australian Cup |
1st | Cascadian | 2 minutes 01.43 seconds |
| 2nd | Numerian | ||
| 3rd | Pounding | ||
| 2022 Australian Cup |
1st | Duais | 2 minutes 00.82 seconds |
| 2nd | Think It Over | ||
| 3rd | Spanish Mission | ||
| 2021 Australian Cup |
1st | Homesman | 2 minutes 01.47 seconds |
| 2nd | Best Of Days | ||
| 3rd | Chapada | ||
| 2020 Australian Cup |
1st | Fifty Stars | 2 minutes 02.18 seconds |
| 2nd | Regal Power | ||
| 3rd | Vow And Declare | ||
| Australian Cup 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Date: | Saturday March 28, 2026 |
| Racecourse: | Flemington Racecourse |
| Distance: | 2000m |
| Race Type: | Weight-For-Age |
| Status: | Group 1 |
| Prize Money: | $2,000,000 (2026) |
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