A total of 124 horses have been nominated for the historic 150th running of the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup, with 24 Group 1 winners headed by reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cups champion Half Yours.
Caulfield’s signature race on Saturday, 17 October will carry the richest prizemoney in its history at $6 million, including $3.3 million to the winner and prizemoney guaranteed to every starter.
The depth of proven staying talent is particularly significant, with 14 of the 23 Australasian-trained Group 1 winners among the nominations already successful at the highest level over 2400 metres or further.
Half Yours sits at the head of that category following his memorable Caulfield and Melbourne Cups double last spring. The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained six-year-old could emulate Rising Fast, winner of successive Caulfield Cups in 1954 and 1955, should he return to defend his crown this October.
Plenty of familiar opposition could await, with the first six horses home in last year’s Caulfield Cup all among the 2026 nominations.
The depth extends beyond the proven Group 1 stayers with Australian Cup winner Light Infantry Man, Doomben Cup winner Birdman, 2024 Caulfield Cup runner-up and Underwood Stakes winner Buckaroo and Northerly Stakes winner Cosmic Crusader also among the nominations.
One of the most intriguing elements of the nominations is the emerging four-year-old generation with six of the 12 Australasian-trained four-year-olds nominated already Group 1 winners.
Australian Derby winner Green Spaces leads that charge for trainer Bjorn Baker and will have the opportunity this spring to emulate Mongolian Khan, the last horse to win the Australian Derby and Caulfield Cup in the same calendar year when successful in 2015.
Mongolian Khan was trained by Murray Baker, Bjorn’s father, in partnership with Andrew Forsman, providing another link should Green Spaces pursue the same path 11 years later.
Four-year-olds have a proud modern history in the Caulfield Cup, winning the race 12 times in the 21 editions between 1996 and 2016, with celebrated winners including Might And Power, Ethereal, Mummify, Elvstroem, Mongolian Khan and Jameka all triumphant at that age.
The mares are headed by two of the most accomplished horses among the nominations. Chris Waller has nominated five-year-old Aeliana, whose elite-level 2400-metre record includes victories in the Australian Derby and Tancred Stakes.
Matt Laurie’s Treasurethe Moment is also among the nominees. Last year’s Memsie Stakes winner has won four of her six starts at Caulfield and is unbeaten from two starts over 2400 metres or further, winning both the VRC Oaks and Australian Oaks.
Waller has assembled the largest Australasian-trained team with 18 nominations, while Ciaron Maher has 15 entries.
Complementing the strength of the Australasian-trained nominations is a significantly increased international entry, with 32 overseas-trained horses nominated for the 150th Sportsbet Caulfield Cup.
Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien is responsible for 15 nominations with 2024 Criterium de Saint-Cloud winner Tennessee Stud the lone Group 1 winner within O’Brien’s entries.
The international contingent represents a considerable increase on the 12 overseas horses nominated in 2025. Five nominees – Enfjaar, Gaucher, Omni Man, Tenability and Presage Nocturne – competed in at least one of the new European races forming part of this year’s amended Sportsbet Caulfield Cup ballot-free pathway.
Melbourne Racing Club Chief Executive Officer Tanya Fullarton said the quality and depth of nominations reflected the significance of the milestone edition of the race.
“The 150th Sportsbet Caulfield Cup is a significant milestone for the Melbourne Racing Club and Australian racing, and we are delighted with the quality and depth of horses nominated for this historic running,” Fullarton said.
“With 24 Group 1 winners among the nominations, including reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cups champion Half Yours and an exciting group of emerging four-year-olds, there is enormous quality already building towards October.
“We have made this year’s Sportsbet Caulfield Cup the richest in the race’s history at $6 million, and the strong increase in international nominations adds another dimension to what is shaping as an outstanding 150th running of one of Australia’s great races.”
Any horse not previously nominated for the 2026 Sportsbet Caulfield Cup may be supplemented before 12pm on Tuesday, 8 September with handicaps released on Thursday, 17 September.
