FEATURE
(George Sal/Racing Photos)
Times have changed significantly; the TAB Champions Stakes is now held on the final day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, and the Hotham Handicap is currently known as The Lexus Archer. To illustrate that there isn’t a specific type of horse that wins Melbourne Cups, Cummings’ winners varied greatly, from the small Light Fingers to the more ungainly Hyperno. HOLD YOUR HORSES In this century, a notable trend emerged in the Melbourne Cup: a Northern Hemisphere-bred horse, either trained in Australia or sourced from abroad, won 11 of the 14 Cups held from 2010 to 2023. The only Australian-bred winner during this period was Vow And Declare, trained by Danny O’Brien, in 2019. Additionally, New Zealand-bred horses achieved victories with Prince Of Penzance in 2016 and Verry Elleegant in 2021. These foreign- bred horses were represented by six winners, all trained in Australia.
However, the results of the last two Melbourne Cups have defied this trend, as Australian-bred horses Knight’s Choice (2024) and Half Yours (2025) claimed victory. Half Yours faced significant odds, being the only Australian-bred horse in the race last year, while Knight’s Choice was one of three Australian-bred horses competing in the Lexus Melbourne Cup. Half Yours co-trainer Tony McEvoy stated that recent results have provided a significant boost for local trainers and breeders, showing that winning the race is achievable for anyone in the industry. “I’ve seen a lot of Melbourne Cups, and winners can come from anywhere, but Half Yours, Knight's Choice and Vow And Declare have changed the face of the Cup,” McEvoy said. “They aren’t Europeans, and they haven’t got the big European staying pedigrees that have been dominating for many years. Those three horses are standouts as they were bred here and not from big staying pedigrees.”
40 | 2026 OFFICIAL SOUVENIR MAGAZINE
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software