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The Grafton Cup is one of the signature staying features of the Grafton July Racing Carnival, attracting seasoned stayers, emerging country cup specialists and proven winter performers chasing black-type success. Run over 2350m at the Clarence River Jockey Club, the race consistently delivers strong betting interest thanks to its deep fields, tactical tempo and history of producing genuine upsets. Punters searching for Grafton Cup tips, betting odds, form guides, barrier analysis, and key contenders will find this year’s edition shaping as another competitive staying test where race fitness, tempo and track pattern play a decisive role. Below you’ll find the latest Grafton Cup field, market updates, and expert race insights to give Races.com.au readers a clear advantage heading into one of the carnival’s most important Listed events.

2026 Grafton Cup Results

Stay tuned for the official 2026 Grafton Cup results and finishing order on Thursday, July 16, 2026 and to see what stayers have tougher spring target races pending.

• 1st: No. 11 King Pedro ($2.30F)
• 2nd: No. 3 Etna Rosso
• 3rd: No. 4 Kaluakoi

Winning Margin: 0.12 lengths

Winning Time: 2:23.44

King Pedro ($2.30F) produced a proper staying performance in Thursday’s 2026 Grafton Cup results, overcoming a crawl-and-dash tempo to storm home and claim the Listed feature in strong fashion. Nothing had been making ground all day and the muddling mid-race pace looked a nightmare for a backmarker, but jockey Kerrin McEvoy kept his cool, eased the dominant last start Stayers Cup winner into clear air, and unleashed a booming run down the centre to reel in Etna Rosso and the brave frontrunner Kaluakoi. It was McEvoy’s first Grafton Cup and a win that has trainer Tom Charlton eyeing bigger spring targets, with the Group 1 The Metropolitan firmly on the radar after King Pedro proved he can absorb a tricky set-up and still put them away when it counts.

2026 Grafton Cup Odds & Finishing Order

See below for the latest Grafton Cup odds followed by the official finishing order after the event this winter.

2026 Grafton Cup Tips

Stay tuned for our insider Grafton Cup 2026 Tips on the popular winter feature this July.

The Grafton Cup field attracts a quality line-up of winter stayers and offers a total of $200,000 in prize money. The headline event of the two-day Grafton Cup Carnival, the black type takes place on a Thursday and follows the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m) for the sprinters at the Grafton track on the Wednesday.

The 2022 Grafton Cup form was franked with the winner Arapaho going on to perform well in a host of subsequent Black-Type races including his Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) win at Rosehill in March of 2023.

In 2023 the Grafton Cup winner Zoumon went on to run second in the spring’s $2 million Five Diamonds race in Sydney. The form was further franked with that year’s Grafton Cup third place-getter, Spirit Ridge, continuing on to place in a host of other feature races including a second in the Group 1 The Metropolitan (2400m).

The 2024 Grafton Cup winner, Deny Knowledge, franked the form going on to win the Group 1 Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield that spring.

The 2026 Grafton Cup ran on Thursday, July 16, 2026 as a potential early lead-up to the spring staying races in Sydney and was won in a cracking finish by the progressive Tom Charlton-trained favourite King Pedro ($2.30F). 

Grafton Cup 2026
Date:	Thursday, July 16, 2026
Track:	Grafton Racecourse
Distance:	2350m
Status:	Listed
Prize Money:	$200,000
Conditions:	Quality Handicap

2026 Grafton Cup Betting

The winter’s latest Grafton Cup 2026 betting odds and market links to Ladbrokes.com.au will be available here at Races.com.au leading up to the race.

Sixties Groove ($3.50 in 2020), Purrfect Deal ($3.40 in 2021), that year’s Caloundra Cup winner Zoumon ($2.50 in 2023), Deny Knowledge ($2.45 in 2024), equal top fancy Don Diego De Vega ($4.60EF in 2025) and King Pedro ($2.30 in 2026) are the latest favourites in Grafton Cup betting to salute for the punters.

2026 Grafton Cup Form

The Grafton Cup form guide gives punters a complete breakdown of every runner’s staying credentials, recent performances and suitability for the 2350m test at the Clarence River Jockey Club. It’s the key tool for analysing how each horse is likely to handle the trip, the tempo, the track pattern and the pressure of a Listed winter feature. Horses with proven staying form, strong late sectionals, and a pattern that suits Grafton’s long run home typically stand out in the Grafton Cup form guide, helping punters identify the best chances, value runners and potential roughies for one of the carnival’s most important races.

What to Look for on the Grafton Cup Form Guide:

• Staying strength — assess whether each runner has proven stamina at 2000m-2400m, especially in races with genuine tempo.
• Recent 2000m+ form — look for horses hitting the line strongly in their latest staying runs or showing improvement deep into their prep.
• Track suitability — Grafton’s long straight rewards horses who can build momentum; check past runs at similar turning tracks.
• Barrier impact — wide gates can be tricky over 2350m, so note which runners map to get cover early.
• Tempo and race map — identify likely leaders and on-pacers; staying races often favour horses who settle cleanly.
• Winter fitness — many Grafton Cup winners arrive rock-hard fit; check for horses with multiple runs this prep.
• Sectional strength — late splits from recent starts help reveal which runners can sustain pressure over the final 600m.
• Weight and class drops — horses dropping in grade or carrying less weight can find sharp improvement in staying features.

FULL 2026 GRAFTON CUP FORM GUIDE

2026 Grafton Cup Field

The Grafton Cup field features plenty of graduates out of the Queensland Winter Racing Carnival events including the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) held a fortnight prior at the Sunshine Coast with Arapaho (2nd in 2022), Zoumon (1st in 2023) and Don Diego De Vega (4th in 2025) the latest Grafton Cup winners to come via the Caloundra Cup.

The other key lead-up race into the Grafton Cup field each winter is the Grafton Cup Prelude (2215m) conducted just a week before the Listed event. Rednav (2016) followed by Purrfect Deal (2021) are the latest gallopers to complete the Grafton Cup Prelude – Grafton Cup racing double.

Rosehill’s Listed W J McKell Cup (2000m) also serves as a nice form race into the Grafton Cup field each winter with Zoumon (2023) the latest to do the double.

The official Grafton Cup 2026 Final Field & Barriers are set for release on the Monday of race week and will be published in full below.

The2026 Grafton Cup field features a quality line-up of long-distance specialists looking to secure some winter Black-Type with markets firmly led by King Pedro who comes off a three-length demolition job in the Stayers Cup.

2026 Grafton Cup Nominations

The Grafton Cup 2026 Nominations close the Thursday prior to the race, along with those for the Ramornie Handicap.

The 2026 Grafton Cup nominations attracted 24 smart winter stayers led in all-in betting by Tom Charlton’s dominant last start Stayers Cup winner at Rosehill King Pedro.

Grafton Cup History

The Grafton Cup has long been an important part of NSW country racing. Since its inception, regional trainers have placed major emphasis on the race as one of the better staying events held outside of metropolitan areas.

The Grafton Cup is held on the second Thursday of every July, a tradition that grants the CRJC a day with no competing black type events. The Wednesday prior to the Grafton Cup also boasts racing, forming a two-day racing festival which is quite popular in the area. A half-holiday is granted throughout the shire on Grafton Cup Day.

Notable Grafton Cup winners include Deny Knowledge (2024), Mr O’Ceirin (2013), Twin Wing (2010) and Pacific Dancer (2004).

In 2020 Sixties Groove made Grafton Cup history carrying a record 61kg to victory.

Grafton Cup Results

The Grafton Cup winners and results since 2000 are listed below.

Year	Place	Horse	Time
2026 Grafton Cup	1st	King Pedro	2 minutes 23.44 seconds
	2nd	Etna Rosso
	3rd	Kaluakoi
2025 Grafton Cup	1st	Don Diego De Vega	2 minutes 28.59 seconds
	2nd	Quietness
	3rd	Zoology
2024 Grafton Cup	1st	Deny Knowledge	2 minutes 23.40 seconds
	2nd	Touristic
	3rd	Thalassophile
2023 Grafton Cup	1st	Zoumon	2 minutes 25.66 seconds
	2nd	Outlandos
	3rd	Spirit Ridge
2022 Grafton Cup	1st	Arapaho	2 minutes 25.89 seconds
	2nd	Rebel Rama
	3rd	Dr Drill
2021 Grafton Cup	1st	Purrfect Deal	2 minutes 24.44 seconds
	2nd	Laure Me In
	3rd	Parry Sound
2020 Grafton Cup	1st	Sixties Groove	2 minutes 25.98 seconds
	2nd	The Lord Mayor
	3rd	Carzoff
2019 Grafton Cup	1st	Sacred Day	2 minutes 26.46 seconds
	2nd	Sopressa
	3rd	Vaucluse Bay
2018 Grafton Cup	1st	First Crush	2 minutes 23.3 seconds
	2nd	Winkler
	3rd	Reneged
2017 Grafton Cup	1st	Supply And Demand	2 minutes 23.33
	2nd	Get On The Grange
	3rd	Montauk
2016 Grafton Cup	1st	Rednav	2:24.44 seconds
	2nd	All Clear
	3rd	Jumbo Prince
2015 Grafton Cup	1st	Bonfire	2:22.59 seconds
	2nd	Kapour
	3rd	Shoreham
2014 Grafton Cup	1st	Queenstown	2:24.10 seconds
	2nd	Secessio
	3rd	Noisy Ocean
2013 Grafton Cup	1st	Mr O’Ceirin	2:26.16
	2nd	Yulalona
	3rd	Reuben Percival
2012 Grafton Cup	1st	Shamardashing	2:25.30
	2nd	Saint Encosta
	3rd	Warrior Within
2011 Grafton Cup	1st	Warrior Within	2:23.56
	2nd	Gold In Dubai
	3rd	Shuffle The Cash
2010 Grafton Cup	1st	Twin Wing	2:23.98
	2nd	Frozone
	3rd	Ironstein
2009 Grafton Cup	1st	Castle Heights	2:24.98
	2nd	Hume
	3rd	Twin Wing
2008 Grafton Cup	1st	Art Success	2:22.92
	2nd	Belmonte
	3rd	Juerga
2007 Grafton Cup	1st	Ashraf	2:22.91
	2nd	Kincharm
	3rd	Casa De Campo
2006 Grafton Cup	1st	Rocking On	2:26.41
	2nd	Gaze On
	3rd	Victory Charm
2005 Grafton Cup	1st	Stormhill	2:25.50
	2nd	Precise Timing
	3rd	Dancing Daggers
2004 Grafton Cup	1st	Pacific Dancer	2:26.48
	2nd	Corporate Queen
	3rd	Zabeat
2003 Grafton Cup	1st	Belus	2:27.20
	2nd	Majestically
	3rd	Legerdemain
2002 Grafton Cup	1st	Master Pom	2:26.86
	2nd	Paestum
	3rd	Asia
2001 Grafton Cup	1st	Desk Top Lover	2:27.78
	2nd	Crown Mahal
	3rd	Viva La Vie
2000 Grafton Cup	1st	Simigan	2:26.21
	2nd	Super Revenir
	3rd	Akwazoff

Grafton Cup FAQs

When is the Grafton Cup?
The Grafton Cup is held each July during the Grafton July Racing Carnival, traditionally run on the Thursday of Cup week at the Clarence River Jockey Club. The 2026 Grafton Cup date is set for Thursday, July 16, 2026.

Where is the Grafton Cup run?
The race takes place at Grafton Racecourse in New South Wales, home of one of Australia’s most popular regional racing carnivals.

What distance is the Grafton Cup?
The Grafton Cup is run over 2350 metres, making it a genuine staying test that rewards stamina, race fitness and tactical positioning.

What type of race is the Grafton Cup?
It is a Listed race and one of the feature staying events of the Grafton Carnival, often attracting seasoned stayers and emerging country cup contenders.

How do I read the Grafton Cup form guide?
Punters should assess staying form at 2000m+, track suitability, barrier impact, tempo maps, winter fitness and late sectionals to identify the strongest chances.

Who usually performs well in the Grafton Cup?
Horses with proven staying ability, strong recent runs, and a pattern suited to Grafton’s long straight often profile well in this race.

Where can I find Grafton Cup tips and odds?
Races.com.au provides updated Grafton Cup tips, betting odds, field information, and expert analysis throughout Carnival week. The latest Grafton Cup odds can be found at Ladbrokes.com.au.