GOLDEN TICKET
Local stayer Torranzino claimed the first golden ticket exemption offered through the Geelong Cup, running a gallant fifth in the Lexus Melbourne Cup two weeks later. (Image credit: Pat Scala/Racing Photos)
Two additional races now hold golden ticket status, the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m) and the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m), the latter to be run at Flemington in 2026 due to the major course redevelopments being conducted at the Moonee Valley site. The Geelong Cup continues to be a proven pathway, with Media Puzzle , Americain , and Dunaden all completing the Geelong–Melbourne Cup double. In its first year as a golden ticket race, Torranzino won at Geelong before finishing a strong fifth in the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup. The Moonee Valley Gold Cup, first run in 1883, has also produced notable Cup performers. Okita Soushi finished third in the 2024 Lexus Melbourne Cup after winning the race, while Kingston Rule (1990) remains the most recent horse to complete the double. THE COX PLATE FACTOR The Group 1 W.S. Cox Plate (2040m) will be run at Flemington in 2026, marking a rare shift from Moonee Valley. Five horses have completed the Cox Plate–Melbourne Cup double, most recently the great Makybe Diva in 2005 during her historic third Cup triumph. Other champions to achieve the feat include Saintly , Rising Fast , Phar Lap , and Nightmarch . In modern times, few attempt the demanding double, with Sir Dragonet the most recent, finishing sixth in the 2020 Lexus Melbourne Cup. Makybe Diva’s 2005 campaign remains the benchmark. Her dominant Cox Plate victory paving the way for a final career start that delivered a third Melbourne Cup and secured her place among racing’s immortals.
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