Melbourne Cup 2025 – Horses, Field, Winners, Odds & Betting Preview

The race that stops a nation is the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington and the 2025 edition shapes up to be a belter of a contest.

Down below is a speed map, runner preview and $100 betting strategy for the 2025 Melbourne Cup.

MELBOURNE CUP 🏆: View the Field and Odds for the Melbourne Cup

2025 Melbourne Cup Runner Preview:

1. Al Riffa: The win prior, the form stinks, but last start, the subsequent form has been quite strong. 59kg in a Melbourne Cup… gee it’s going to be an ask. But, Mark Zahra is a gun rider in big races, and Joseph O’Brien is a gun trainer when it comes to travelling horses overseas. He is a definite contender.

2. Buckaroo: The Cox Plate run was full of merit and it took a gun mare in Via Sistina to beat him. The Cox Plate is usually gold for the Melbourne Cup… I just question whether he runs 3200m. I think he does, on the proviso he draws soft. If he can draw inside and bludge in the run, gee I think he’ll run well.

3. Arapaho: Thought he was cast prior to Bendigo… he might still be cast, but he was the sneaky good run in the race and we saw that sneaky good run at Bendigo win the race last year. Could I back him to win? No. But I can see him sneaking into the top ten.

4. Vauban: Thought he was right on track after an excellent return in the Chelmsford. Luckless in The Metropolitan but the Caulfield Cup run worries me. He has won at 3382m previously but for mine, I don’t think he stay at the top level, and has failed twice previously in the race. Not for me.

5. Chevalier Rose: D Lane has a great record with the stable/connections in big races, both locally and overseas. It is clear that this horse needs a rock hard track. With the Melbourne weather, no idea. If he gets conditions to suit, he’s the best each way gamble in the race. If there is rain (most likely) and we get a wet track, I say he’ll struggle.

6. Presage Nocturne: I think he’s the one from the Caulfield Cup. He wasn’t ready from a mounting yard perspective, trip short of his best and on a dry-ish track. He’s okay on a dry track, but on wet ground, he’ll absolutely thrive and run all day. If the rain comes, I’ll be keen to back each way.

7. Middle Earth: Blinkers went on at Moonee Valley and he ran okay, but that race was terrible. I actually think he’s a 1600m/2000m max in time. He looks like he has a lethal turn of foot in slowly run races but when the distances increase, he lacks stamina to my eye. Goes through to the keeper.

8. Meydaan: I am fairly certain J Mac will ride a better race on this guy vs Atzeni. He brings very strong form lines from the UK and does give the impression of being fine at 3200m. How much did the Caulfield Cup take out of him? Not sure, but I am not dismissing him.

9. Absurde: Normally I pen horses who have previously failed in the race. Would a win shock with this guy? No, and he will be included in all exotic plays because he will stay all day and handles wet ground. I do have a couple of others ahead but he’s in the mix.

10. Flatten The Curve: Hard to knock his numerical form in 2025. He has really come on the last 6-12 months. But I just don’t think there is enough substance in his form to say he’s going to threaten. If he wins, too good, but he goes through to the keeper for me.

11. Land Legend: Start of the prep, I thought he was a serious contender for the Melbourne Cup. But he did nothing in the Turnbull and was worse in the Caulfield Cup. Waller will need to weave some all time magic to get this horse to bounce back.

12. Smokin Romans: Was kept safe in betting in this race in 2022 and was okay. He hasn’t really captured that sort of form since and his efforts this time in suggest he’s nowhere near the level required to figure in the finish. He is one I am more than happy to pen.

13. Changingoftheguard: Rough outside top ten chance at his best and while he was luckless in The Metropolitan, he was poor at Geelong and while he’ll be on speed, he won’t be beating many home.

14. Half Yours: I want to pen him because he has been in work forever and I reckon there was just a couple of signs at Caulfield that perhaps he might want the paddock. But when the horse is racing as well as he is, connections have to give the horse his chance. Great narrative if he wins, and of course he can win. But I won’t be backing him to win. He will go in exotics.

15. More Felons: I think two miles will suit him ideally and rain won’t hurt his cause. I don’t think he’s good enough to win but I can see him running top ten because his run in The Metropolitan was a beauty.

16. Onesmoothoperator: Prince Of Arran 2.0 this guy. Just a fair horse in the UK but when in Australia, he is just a different/better horse. The Moonee Valley Gold Cup win was brilliant and on a dry track, he’d be a clear top pick for me. But with the rain forecast, I think you have to pen him because he just doesn’t go a yard on wet ground, and that’s not just me, that is connections saying that as well.

17. Further: He’s a nice horse I think, for the future. Not sure he is good enough to take out the big one here though and from what I’ve seen in replays, he looks a horse that needs more time to fill out his frame. Not for me here.

18. Parchment Party: As I said, great narrative that he’s here being an American horse. He will chip away and stay… but if he’s winning the Melbourne Cup, the race is in big trouble. Got no chance IMO.

19. Athabascan: I think he does race best on wet ground and did show signs of life at Moonee Valley last start. But I think overall, he’s not going well enough to threaten.

20. Goodie Two Shoes: Needs a dry track to be any sort of chance, even then I’d have her at top ten. But if the rain comes, I say she is going to struggle, though I will say, that even on wet ground, she won’t know herself with 51.5kg on her back.

21. River Of Stars: Does one run cancel the rest of the prep, which was pretty poor. Yes, very good in the Caulfield Cup, down in the weights, think 3200m is okay for her… just can’t see her winning. Another that is a top ten contender, a rough place chance.

22. Royal Supremacy: If you knew he was going to relax in the run, you’d back him with confidence. I think he has got the ability to win the race but unless you’re a freak, you can’t pull over 3200m and expect to win.

23. Torranzino: I think a wet track is what he needs because he lacks the brilliance of others, but even on a dry track, I think he’ll measure up. Incredible effort in the Bart Cummings and I think was arrogant in the Geelong Cup. Right down in the weights, he’ll be strong late, he likes Flemington… I think he’ll run an absolute beauty.

24. Valiant King: Prior to the Bart Cummings, he did set looked like a hurdler. But now, he’s a legitimate contender for the Melbourne Cup. Hard run Bart Cummings he loved, was somewhat luckless in the Caulfield Cup… the rider, albeit a previous winner of the Cup, absolutely scares me, but even with that, this horse has to be seriously respected.

2025 Melbourne Cup $100 Betting Strategy:

$100 Boxed First Four = 5.55% with the numbers 1-2-3-6-9-15-23-24

Group l Strategy Outlay: $2400
Group l Strategy Return: $2001

Melbourne Cup Field

No	Horse	Trainer	Jockey	Barrier	Weight
1	AL RIFFA (FR)	Joseph O’Brien	Mark Zahra	19	59kg
2	BUCKAROO (GB)	Chris Waller	Craig Williams	12	57kg
3	ARAPAHO (FR)	Bjorn Baker	Ms Rachel King	15	56.5kg
4	VAUBAN (FR)	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	Blake Shinn	2	56.5kg
5	CHEVALIER ROSE (JPN)	Hisashi Shimizu	Damian Lane	5	55.5kg
6	PRESAGE NOCTURNE (IRE)	Alessandro Botti	Stephane Pasquier	9	55.5kg
7	MIDDLE EARTH (GB)	Ciaron Maher	Ethan Brown	13	54.5kg
8	MEYDAAN (IRE)	Simon & Ed Crisford	James McDonald	22	54kg
9	ABSURDE (FR)	Willie Mullins	Kerrin McEvoy	4	53.5kg
10	FLATTEN THE CURVE (FR)	Henk Grewe	Thore Hammer Hansen	17	53.5kg
11	LAND LEGEND (FR)	Chris Waller	Joao Moreira	16	53.5kg
12	SMOKIN’ ROMANS (NZ)	Ciaron Maher	Ben Melham	11	53.5kg
13	CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE)	Kris Lees	Tim Clark	24	53kg
14	HALF YOURS	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	Ms Jamie Melham	8	53kg
15	MORE FELONS (IRE)	Chris Waller	Tommy Berry	23	53kg
16	ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA)	Brian Ellison	Harry Coffey	6	53kg
17	FURTHUR (IRE)	Andrew Balding	Michael Dee	7	52kg
18	PARCHMENT PARTY (USA)	William Mott	John Velazquez	3	52kg
19	ATHABASCAN (FR)	John O’Shea & Tom Charlton	Declan Bates	1	51.5kg
20	GOODIE TWO SHOES (IRE)	Joseph O’Brien	Wayne Lordan	20	51.5kg
21	RIVER OF STARS (IRE)	Chris Waller	Beau Mertens	14	51.5kg
22	ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE)	Ciaron Maher	Robbie Dolan	21	51kg
23	TORRANZINO (NZ)	Paul Preusker	Ms Celine Gaudray	18	51kg
24	VALIANT KING (GB)	Chris Waller	Jye McNeil	10	51kg

Melbourne Cup Odds

2025 Melbourne Cup Speed Map

Changingoftheguard looks the leader despite drawing wide. Tim Clark will shoot him across. Smokin Romans should settle forward. Outside that pair, I can’t see much early tempo. Maybe River Of Stars? I don’t think they’ll go hard.