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The The Bart Cummings runs on Saturday October 3, 2026 offering the winner a Melbourne Cup golden ticket into the 24-horse field for November 3. 

The Bart Cummings 2026 is one of the most important staying races of the Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival, offering emerging stayers and seasoned campaigners a golden pathway into the race that stops a nation. Run at Flemington Racecourse over 2500 metres, the Group 3 feature carries automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup, making it a highly sought after target for trainers with genuine Cup aspirations. Named in honour of legendary Cups King Bart Cummings, who prepared a record 12 Melbourne Cup winners, the race regularly attracts a quality field of local and international stayers looking to secure their place in Australia’s most famous race. With a rich history of producing Melbourne Cup contenders and an honour roll featuring a number of outstanding distance performers, The Bart Cummings has become a crucial spring form reference for punters following the staying ranks. This page features everything you need to know about The Bart Cummings, including race history, field information, form guides, betting odds, prizemoney, results, and past winners.

2026 The Bart Cummings Odds

See below for the latest The Bart Cummings 2026 odds followed by the official finishing order after the event this spring.

2026 The Bart Cummings Tips

Stay tuned for our insider The Bart Cummings 2026 Tips on the Melbourne Cup-bound stayers facing off in the Turnbull Stakes Day event this spring.

The Bart Cummings is run under quality handicap conditions and is open to horses of all ages and sexes. It currently offers $350,000 in prize money and 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.

The Bart Cummings winner is exempt from ballot for the Group 1 $10.2 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 2026 The Bart Cummings winner Valiant King backed up from his 60/1 upset in the Group 3 to finish a next-up third in the Caulfield Cup trifecta.

The Bart Cummings 2026
Date:	Saturday October 3, 2026
Track:	Flemington Racecourse
Distance:	2500m
Race Type:	Quality Handicap
Status:	Group 3
Prize Money:	$350,000

2026 The Bart Cummings Results

Stay tuned for the official 2026 The Bart Cummings results and finishing order on Saturday October 3, 2026 and to see what horse could line up in this year’s Melbourne Cup field!

Winning Margin: TBD

Winning Time: TBD

2026 The Bart Cummings Betting

The season’s latest The Bart Cummings 2026 betting odds and Flemington market links to Ladbrokes 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.

2026 The Bart Cummings Form

The Bart Cummings form guide is an essential resource for punters analysing one of the most influential Melbourne Cup lead-up races of the spring. Run over 2500 metres at Flemington, the Group 3 staying feature attracts a quality mix of Melbourne Cup hopefuls, seasoned stayers, and emerging distance performers chasing a coveted ballot exemption into Australia’s most famous race. The form guide provides valuable information on each runner’s recent performances, staying credentials, fitness levels, jockey and trainer combinations, barrier draws, and Flemington record, helping punters identify the horses best suited to the testing journey.

What Punters Should Look for in The Bart Cummings Form Guide:

• Recent staying form – Horses coming through quality staying races over 2000m and beyond often bring the strongest credentials into The Bart Cummings.
• Distance suitability – Proven performers at 2400m to 3200m generally have an advantage, as the race is a genuine staying test.
• Flemington form – Experience at Flemington can be crucial, particularly for horses that handle the spacious track and long home straight.
• Melbourne Cup aspirations – Many runners are targeting a Melbourne Cup start, making proven staying class and endurance key factors.
• Lead-up races – Form through races such as the Naturalism Stakes, Makybe Diva Stakes, Heatherlie Stakes, and other spring staying contests can provide valuable clues.
• Fitness and preparation – Horses peaking third, fourth, or fifth-up often perform strongly as stamina becomes increasingly important.
• Weight carried – Assessing weight relative to rivals can be important in handicaps, particularly over longer distances.
• Track conditions – Some stayers excel on r ainaffected ground, while others are best suited to firm spring surfaces.
• Trainer record with stayers – Leading trainers with strong Melbourne Cup and staying race records often target The Bart Cummings as a key spring objective.
• Late sectionals and finishing strength – Horses capable of sustaining a long run and finishing strongly over distance are often well suited to Flemington’s staying races.
• Barrier draw and race pattern – While less influential than in sprint races, barriers can impact the run a horse gets during a long-distance event.
• International and imported form – Many contenders are imported stayers, making overseas form and previous distance performances important factors when assessing the field.

FULL 2026 THE BART CUMMINGS FORM GUIDE

2026 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 2026 The Bart Cummings field & barriers will be released on the Wednesday leading-up to race day and published in full below.

2026 The Bart Cummings Nominations

Early nominations for The Bart Cummings race in 2026 close the Monday of race week.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	2×151111	AETHELWULF	G	4	Matthew Smith	99
2	2x11661x53	ASTERIX (NZ)	G	8	Chris Waller	108
3	0x01733943	BEACH PAD	G	6	Shane Jackson	80
4	510316×560	BERKELEY SQUARE	G	7	Dan O’Sullivan	106
5	11x5172x90	CAMPALDINO (NZ)	G	6	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	105
6	2x522307x0	HIGHLAND BLING (IRE)	G	6	Phillip & Tommy Stokes	94
7	314114×333	JENNIVAMOOSE (NZ)	M	7	Ciaron Maher	95
8	3x93339x32	JUJA KIBO (IRE)	G	6	Ciaron Maher	100
9	5x9191x087	KINGS VALLEY (IRE)	G	6	Ciaron Maher	97
10	1x6x708x09	KNIGHT’S CHOICE	G	7	John Symons & Sheila Laxon	109
11	1x0225x425	LITZDEEL	M	5	Danny O’Brien	98
12	81x5110x40	MR MONACO (GB)	G	6	Ciaron Maher	96
13	5518574×90	NEWLOOK (FR)	G	6	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	96
14	213x0x0x00	OKITA SOUSHI (IRE)	H	9	Ciaron Maher	102
15	840x10x9x0	ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA)	G	9	Tim Fitzsimmons	105
16	x51456x579	PIGGYBACK	M	6	Ciaron Maher	101
17	5x09412x31	PINHOLE (GB)	G	5	Chris Waller	87
18	3x131x1	SAPPHIRE SIREN	M	5	Bill Papazaharoudakis	74
19	6821321725	SHULTZY	G	9	Pat Cannon	74
20	x94262x683	SOUL OF SPAIN (IRE)	G	6	Chris Waller	106
21	2x14372x00	SOULCOMBE (GB)	G	8	Chris Waller	103
22	219x5114x7	SUFFOLK STAR (GB)	G	7	Paul Preusker	78
23	58×0073058	TAJANIS (IRE)	G	7	Charlotte Littlefield	84
24	x1535x7442	THINK GIANT (GB)	G	5	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	88
25	334434×957	TRAVOLTA (GB)	G	6	Chris Waller	100
26	30x8670x00	VALIANT KING (GB)	G	7	Chris Waller	100
27	x75516x805	WOOTTON VERNI (FR)	G	6	Chris Waller	107
28	8×00638143	WUDDZZ (NZ)	G	9	Henry Dwyer	77
29	7x07850x00	ZARIR (IRE)	G	7	Julius Sandhu	93

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

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2026 The Bart Cummings	1st	TBD	TBD
	2nd	TBD
	3rd	TBD
2025 The Bart Cummings	1st	Valiant King	2 minutes 36.21 seconds
	2nd	Torranzino
	3rd	Gilded Water
2024 The Bart Cummings	1st	Just Fine	2 minutes 41.02 seconds
	2nd	Point King
	3rd	Amade
2023 The Bart Cummings	1st	Future History	2 minutes 39.03 seconds
	2nd	First Immortal
	3rd	Serpentine
2022 The Bart Cummings	1st	Lunar Flare	2 minutes 36.67 seconds
	2nd	Francesco Guardi
	3rd	Interpretation
2021 The Bart Cummings	1st	Grand Promenade	2 minutes 37.73 seconds
	2nd	Tralee Rose
	3rd	Master Of Wine
2020 The Bart Cummings	1st	Persan	2 minutes 36.24 seconds
	2nd	Sound
	3rd	Steel Prince
2019 The Bart Cummings	1st	Surprise Baby	2 minutes 38.66 seconds
	2nd	Supernova
	3rd	Wolfe
2018 The Bart Cummings	1st	Avilius	2 minutes 35.43 seconds
	2nd	Jaameh
	3rd	Yogi
2017 The Bart Cummings	1st	Amelie’s Star	2 minutes 37.69 seconds
	2nd	Granddukeoftuscany
	3rd	Kellstorm
2016 The Bart Cummings	1st	Almandin	2 minutes 37.47 seconds
	2nd	Zanteca
	3rd	Excess Knowledge
2015 The Bart Cummings	1st	Let’s Make Adeal	2 minutes 35.6 seconds
	2nd	Our Ivanhowe
	3rd	Hawkspur
2014 The Bart Cummings	1st	Who Shot Thebarman	2 minutes 39.62 seconds
	2nd	Marksmanship
	3rd	Anudjawun
2013 The Bart Cummings	1st	Araldo	2 minutes 38.23 seconds
	2nd	Sea Moon
	3rd	Gotta Take Care
2012 The Bart Cummings	1st	Tanby	2 minutes 36.69 seconds
	2nd	Maluckyday
	3rd	Dame Claire
2011 The Bart Cummings	1st	Mourayan	2 minutes 40.78 seconds
	2nd	Niwot
	3rd	Showcause
2010 The Bart Cummings	1st	Harris Tweed	2 minutes 40.32 seconds
	2nd	Exceptionally
	3rd	Above Average
2009 The Bart Cummings	1st	Light Vision	2 minutes 38.76 seconds
	2nd	Miss Darcey
	3rd	Zacroona
2008 The Bart Cummings	1st	Light Vision	2 minutes 41.34 seconds
	2nd	Baughurst
	3rd	Zavite
2007 The Bart Cummings	1st	Dolphin Jo	2 minutes 39.06 seconds
	2nd	The Fuzz
	3rd	Light Vision
2006 The Bart Cummings	1st	Irazu	2 minutes 38.22 seconds
	2nd	Aznavour
	3rd	Bay Story

The Bart Cummings FAQs