Signup to Ladbrokes

Races.com.au Favourite Bookmaker!

SPRNGC

Copy Signup Code

Code for tracking purposes only

Chances are you're about to lose.

For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au

The Bart Cummings News

Bart Cummings Winner Valiant King Firms in 2025 Melbourne Cup Betting

• Revelare Wins 2025 Lexus Archer Stakes, Firms in Melbourne Cup Betting

The Bart Cummings is a Group 3 race held at Melbourne’s Flemington Racecourse in early October over the Spring Racing Carnival.

2025 The Bart Cummings Results

Stay tuned for the official 2025 The Bart Cummings results and finishing order and to see what horse could line up in this year’s Melbourne Cup field!

• 1st: No. 14 Valiant King ($61)
• 2nd: No. 10 Torranzino
• 3rd: No. 15 Gilded Water

The all-in Melbourne Cup price on Valiant King ($61) to take out the 165th edition of the ‘race that stops a nation’ have been slashed after his powerhouse win in The Bart Cummings 2025 results with the Chris Waller trained Roaring Lion six-year-old coming from well back to charge home over the final 300m flying past the front runners like it was nothing to bolt home by an official margin of 2.75 lengths as a forgotten outsider in betting.

Click here for the full story.

The Bart Cummings is run under quality handicap conditions and is open to horses of all ages and sexes.

Contested over 2500m it currently offers $350,000 in prize money. The Bart Cummings provides a valuable opportunity for local stayers to test their mettle over distances greater than 2400m. Because the race is a key lead-up to the Melbourne Cup, it is now named in honour of the twelve-time Melbourne Cup winning trainer, Bart Cummings.

The Bart Cummings winner is exempt from ballot for the Group 1 $10 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) held over the two miles back at Flemington on the first Tuesday of November and the double was last completed by Almandin (2016).

More recently in 2019, The Bart Cummings winner Surprise Baby ran an eye-catching fifth in the Melbourne Cup results that spring and was immediately installed as the all-in favourite for the 2020 Melbourne Cup.

The next year, Persan did the same backing up from his The Bart Cummings victory to run a credible fifth to Twilight Payment in the Melbourne Cup 2020.

The Bart Cummings is held on Turnbull Stakes Day that is headlined by the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m), Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m), Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m), the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m), and the Group 2 Blazer Stakes (1400m) now run as the Rose Of Kingston Stakes.

A nice next up option for The Bart Cummings graduates is the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) held a fortnight later. The mare Tralee Rose improved on her The Bart Cummings second in 2021 to win the Geelong Cup next race.

Many The Bart Cummings graduates then target the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m). In 2022 The Bart Cummings winner Lunar Flare ran a next-up second in the Moonee Valley Cup, while The Bart Cummings runner-up Francesco Guardi turned the tables in The Valley event.

The Bart Cummings ran on Saturday October 4, 2025 offering the Chris Waller trained upset 60/1 winner Valiant King a Melbourne Cup golden ticket into the 24-horse field for November 4. 

2025 The Bart Cummings Betting

The season’s latest The Bart Cummings 2025 betting odds and Flemington market links to Ladbrokes.com.au on the potential Melbourne Cup horses will be provided here at Races.com.au the week of the race.

There was a notable upset in 2024 with Just Fine saluting narrowly at The Bart Cummings odds of $21, while in 2025 Valiant King posted a huge upset winning by 2.75 lengths as a $61 roughie.

2025 The Bart Cummings Form

CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL 2025 THE BART CUMMINGS FORM GUIDE

2025 The Bart Cummings Tips

Stay tuned for our insider The Bart Cummings 2025 Tips on the Melbourne Cup-bound stayers facing off in the Turnbull Stakes Day event this spring.

• To Win: No. 15 Gilded Water ($2.70 at time of publish) – BET NOW

A few genuine stayers in this Melbourne Cup lead-up with claims but I’m finding it hard to tip against the deserving Ciaron Maher trained favourite GILDED WATER (13) who is so beautifully weighted. The progressive Fastnet Rock five-year-old carries just 54kg – his lightest allocation since November last year. He’s been excellent with big weights over the past few months including his lead-up win over 2000m at Caulfield with 58.5kg when saluting by two lengths. Up in grade but will see out the distance no issues based on what he did last time out and the fact he’s proven at a mile and a half. Jamie Melham rides, he’s making tracks in the right direction and I think he’ll continue to rise through the ranks.

2025 The Bart Cummings Field

The Bart Cummings field tends to attract fairly top-quality stayers. Because it is one of the earliest staying events in the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, some genuine Melbourne Cup contenders enter The Bart Cummings field. Other horses who are targeting later major staying events will seek entry into The Bart Cummings field in order to get as much fitness as possible over longer distances.

Good lead-up races into The Bart Cummings field include the Listed JRA Trophy (2500m) in mid-September and Caulfield’s Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m).

Just Fine (10th in 2024) was the last The Bart Cummings winner to come via the Naturalism Stakes.

The 2025 The Bart Cummings field & barriers will be released on the Wednesday leading-up to race day and published in full below.

The Bart Cummings 2025 final field features a capacity line-up of potential Melbourne Cup hopefuls including Robert Hickmott’s Lexus Stakes winner Revelare chasing a hat-trick and the consistent Ciaron Maher trained Sayedaty Sadaty coming via a third in that same key lead-up.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

2025 The Bart Cummings Nominations

Early nominations for The Bart Cummings race in 2025 close the Monday of race week.

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

The Bart Cummings History

The Bart Cummings was previously known as the Banjo Paterson. That name has since been reserved for a separate series of racing. The Bart Cummings was named as such because the man himself often used the race as a platform for developing his stayers ahead of feature events such as the Melbourne Cup.

The Bart Cummings gained its current name in 2004, when the VRC made the decision to honour the Australian Racing Hall of Fame inaugural inductee. In response to the accolade, Mr Cummings famously said “I will be doing my very best to try to prepare the winner of it”.

Previously a listed event, the Bart Cummings was granted Group 3 status prior to the 2014 edition. In 2012 and 2009, the race was run over 2520m.

Light Vision won this race two years running in 2008 and 2009. Mourayan took top honours in 2011, while Araldo seized first place in 2013. More recently Almandin (2016) completed The Bart Cummings – Melbourne Cup double for prolific owner Lloyd Williams.

The Bart Cummings results since 2006 are provided below.

Bart Cummings Results