Chasing a GOLDEN TICKET
THE ROAD TO THE CUP
T he road to the 2026 Lexus Melbourne Cup is well underway, with another opportunity to secure a place in the capacity 24-horse field on offer in the Listed Lexus Andrew Ramsden. In 2026, eleven golden tickets are available through ballot-exempt races staged across Victoria, along with three international qualifiers. These include the Grade 2 Belmont Gold Cup (3200m) at Saratoga in the USA, the Ebor Handicap at York in the UK, and the newly added Group 2 Prix Kergolay (3000m) at Deauville in France. EARLY QUALIFIERS ON HOME SOIL The first golden ticket for 2026 was secured by Whisky On The Hill , trained by Glen Thompson , with a deserved victory in the Listed Lexus Roy Higgins (2600m) on TAB Australian Cup Day. After being balloted out of the past two Lexus Melbourne Cups and narrowly missing a start last year, the stayer is now guaranteed a place in this year’s race. He had previously tasted success on TAB Champions Stakes Day, winning the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2600m) and collecting a $200,000 bonus for horses that were final acceptors in the Cup but failed to gain a start.
8
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software