Point of Law has won the 2026 Melbourne Cup at Flemington, leading home a historic trifecta for trainer Ciaron Maher in the race that stops a nation.
The favourite, ridden by Ethan Brown, surged home in the straight to win the $10 million, 3,200-metre race on Tuesday, 3 November, after early leader Royal Supremacy had opened up a huge lead down the back straight. It was Brown’s first Melbourne Cup triumph and Maher’s second, after Gold Trip in 2022.
Maher became the first trainer in the race’s 166-year history to saddle the first three horses home. Zahrann finished second and Juja Kibo third, both for the Maher stable.
How the race unfolded
Royal Supremacy, another Maher runner, tore away early and led by as much as 15 lengths at one stage, turning the Cup into a true staying test. The bold front-running effort faded in the final furlong as Point of Law swept past up the rail and powered clear over the final 100 metres to win by three and three-quarter lengths.
Sons and Lovers, trained by Joseph O’Brien, finished fourth as the best of the European challengers. Royal Supremacy held on for fifth and Maher’s Shockletz was sixth, giving Maher five of the first six finishers from his record seven runners in the race.
The field was reduced from 24 to 23 on Tuesday morning when Asterix was scratched by Racing Victoria stewards.
A rapid rise for the winner
Point of Law won at just his sixth career start. The three-year-old son of Frankel was previously owned by King Charles III and trained in Britain by John and Thady Gosden, winning the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket in July before being sold to race in Australia.
He won the Group 3 Geelong Cup on his southern hemisphere debut 13 days before the Melbourne Cup, a win that secured his place in the Flemington field and made him favourite for the big race.
“He’s just thrived,” Maher told Channel 9 after the race, as reported by Fox Sports.
What the result means
The trifecta is a landmark for Maher’s stable, which has grown into one of the dominant forces in Australian racing. For Brown, the win completes a remarkable comeback story: the jockey suffered a serious fall two years ago, according to 1News, and has since become a key part of the Maher team.
The result also continues a strong recent run for lightly raced northern hemisphere imports in the Cup, with Point of Law’s staying pedigree and Geelong Cup form proving decisive over the 3,200 metres.
Melbourne Cup 2026: top six
1. Point of Law (Ethan Brown, Ciaron Maher)
2. Zahrann (Ben Melham, Ciaron Maher)
3. Juja Kibo (Sam Clipperton, Ciaron Maher)
4. Sons and Lovers (Joseph O’Brien)
5. Royal Supremacy (Ben Allen, Ciaron Maher)
6. Shockletz (Ciaron Maher)
What happens next
Attention will now turn to whether Point of Law stays in training in Australia and which major staying races he targets next, and to how the beaten European runners recover from their Flemington campaigns. No future race target for the winner had been confirmed in the reports checked for this article.
Sources
Fox Sports Australia — Melbourne Cup results 2026
Thoroughbred Daily News — Frankel’s Point Of Law Wins the Melbourne Cup
Racing.com — Point Of Law dominates as Maher trains Cup trifecta
The Straight — Point Of Law wins the Melbourne Cup as Maher trains trifecta
Note: race photos in this article are file photos used to illustrate horse racing generally, not photographs of the 2026 Melbourne Cup itself.
