Sir Delius and Half Yours top different weights for 2026 Caulfield and Melbourne Cups

Sir Delius and Half Yours have been assigned the 59kg topweights for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups respectively, with the absence of Sir Delius from the Flemington feature producing different weight scales for the two handicaps.

Racing Victoria Head of Handicapping David Hegan applied an additional 1.5kg to Melbourne Cup entrants above the minimum weight to meet the requirement for a 59kg topweight.

That leaves reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours with 57.5kg at Caulfield and 59kg at Flemington. The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding carried 53kg to win last year’s Melbourne Cup.

Sir Delius was pre-post favourite for last year’s Melbourne Cup but was scratched after a scan revealed he was at heightened risk of injury. He will not have to undergo similar scans this year as he is not contesting the Melbourne Cup.

Ballot-exempt Defiantly, who has been allocated 56.5kg, heads the provisional Melbourne Cup order of entry ahead of Tawny Port and Zakouma. Half Yours is eighth.

“Sir Delius, a three-time Group 1 winner, stands out as the best-performed horse and natural topweight for this year’s Caulfield Cup; however, his absence from the Melbourne Cup has necessitated two different sets of weights,” Hegan said.

The minimum topweight at the release of weights was increased from 58kg to 59kg before the 2025 Cups, while the minimum for older horses rose from 50kg to 51kg. Both races must have a minimum topweight of 57kg when final fields are declared, meaning the weights can be raised if no horse at or above that mark accepts.

Light Infantry Man has 57kg in the Caulfield Cup and 58.5kg in the Melbourne Cup, while Aeliana and Birdman have been assigned 56.5kg and 58kg respectively.

Sons And Lovers, the highest-weighted international Melbourne Cup entry, has 56kg at Caulfield and 57.5kg at Flemington.

Buckaroo shares the second line of the Caulfield Cup handicap with Light Infantry Man on 57kg but was not nominated for the Melbourne Cup.

Hegan said Half Yours had effectively risen 4.5kg from his 2025 Melbourne Cup performance before the further 1.5kg was applied to establish the required topweight. The additional impost does not apply to horses already on the minimum, leaving Lexus Archer Stakes winner Shockletz on 51kg.

Green Spaces, Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea have each been allocated 54.5kg for the $6.55 million Caulfield Cup, which will be run for the 150th time over 2400 metres.

Kingswood has 55kg and She’s A Hustler 53kg. Saint George, who has 53.5kg, is yet to pass the first elimination clause, while Zahrann has 52.5kg.

Kings Valley, with 51kg, and Royal Supremacy, with 54.5kg, already hold ballot exemptions.

Half Yours heads 101 remaining nominations for the $10.2 million Melbourne Cup, with 23 internationally trained horses still in contention for the 3200-metre race.

Joseph O’Brien has 11 nominations, including Defiantly, who is guaranteed a start after winning the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay at Deauville.

US-trained Tawny Port, who earned his exemption in the Group 2 Belmont Gold Cup, has 55.5kg.

Zakouma has 52kg after securing a ballot exemption through the Andrew Ramsden, while Shockletz earned the same protection through the Group 3 Lexus Archer Stakes. Japanese entrant Stinger Glass has 57kg and 2024 winner Knight’s Choice 56.5kg.

The Melbourne Cup nomination pool has fallen from 186 horses in 2022 to 101 this year.

Key Cup weights

Caulfield Cup

• 59kg: Sir Delius
• 57.5kg: Half Yours
• 57kg: Buckaroo, Light Infantry Man
• 56.5kg: Aeliana, Birdman
• 56kg: Sons And Lovers
• 55kg: Kingswood
• 54.5kg: Green Spaces, Enfjaar, Wine Dark Sea, Royal Supremacy
• 53.5kg: Saint George
• 53kg: She’s A Hustler
• 52.5kg: Zahrann
• 51kg: Kings Valley

Melbourne Cup

• 59kg: Half Yours
• 58.5kg: Light Infantry Man
• 58kg: Aeliana, Birdman
• 57.5kg: Sons And Lovers
• 57kg: Trustyourinstinct, Stinger Glass
• 56.5kg: Defiantly, Middle Earth, Knight’s Choice, Highwayman
• 55.5kg: Tawny Port
• 55kg: Goodie Two Shoes
• 52kg: Zakouma
• 51kg: Shockletz

Provisional Melbourne Cup order

The first three horses in the provisional order are ballot-exempt Defiantly, Tawny Port and Zakouma.

1. Defiantly
2. Tawny Port
3. Zakouma
4. Shockletz
5. Aeliana
6. Christmas Day (unlikely)
7. Highwayman
8. Half Yours
9. Light Infantry Man
10. Treasurethe Moment
11. Birdman
12. Pierre Bonnard (unlikely)
13. Sons And Lovers
14. Green Spaces
15. Barnavara (out)
16. Stinger Glass
17. Trustyourinstinct
18. Goodie Two Shoes
19. Middle Earth
20. James J Braddock
21. Vauban
22. Knight’s Choice
23. Changingoftheguard
24. Strictly Business

Full order of entry