Point Of Law wins Melbourne Cup as Ciaron Maher trains a historic one-two-three

Favourite Point Of Law ran down a runaway leader in the Flemington straight to win the 166th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday, 3 November, and in doing so handed trainer Ciaron Maher a piece of history no one had managed before. Maher saddled the first three home, with Zahrann second and Juja Kibo third, the first time in the race's long history that a single trainer has produced the trifecta. The race went off at around lunchtime in Malaysia.

A race shaped by a bold front-runner

The story of the race was Royal Supremacy, another Maher runner, ridden by Ben Allen. He shot to the lead early and kept going, building a margin that reached roughly 20 lengths at one stage and was still around 12 lengths with 400 metres left. The chasing pack let him go, and for a few moments it looked as though the gamble might come off.

It did not. Ethan Brown, on Point Of Law, timed his run to perfection and the three-year-old swept past the tiring leader inside the final furlong before pulling clear to win by three and three-quarter lengths. Royal Supremacy held on for fifth. Joseph O'Brien's top-weight Sons And Lovers was the best of the Irish trainer's five runners in fourth.

Analysis from the Racing Post suggested the race rewarded speed rather than pure stamina, because the main chasing group went steadily while the leader burned himself out. Point Of Law reportedly clocked each of his last three furlongs in under 12 seconds.

From royal colours to Flemington glory

Point Of Law has an unusual back story. The Frankel colt raced for King Charles III and Queen Camilla, trained in Britain by John and Thady Gosden, and won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket in July. He was sold only about a month before the Cup, moved to Maher, and promptly won the Geelong Cup on debut for his new stable.

He became just the third Northern Hemisphere three-year-old to win the Cup, after Rekindling in 2017 and Cross Counter in 2018. Tuesday's win was only the sixth start of his career.

For Brown, it was a first Melbourne Cup. He told reporters he had "got to pinch myself", according to the ABC. For Maher, it was a second Cup after Gold Trip in 2022. He brought a record seven runners to the race, beating the previous mark of six.

Stewards' fallout after the race

The Cup did not pass without disciplinary action. Allen, on the pacemaker Royal Supremacy, pleaded guilty to using his whip ten times before the final 100 metres, five more than the rules allow. He was handed a 16-meeting suspension and a A$5,000 fine, the Racing Post reported.

Trainer Chris Waller was fined A$50,000 after his runner Asterix was withdrawn by stewards. The horse had a topical ointment applied to its forelegs in error, which ruled it out of the race. That left 23 runners. In the days before the Cup, the Joseph O'Brien-trained Defiantly was also withdrawn after failing a veterinary inspection.

How the fancied runners fared

Second favourite Trustyourinstinct, ridden by James McDonald, finished 11th after jumping from a wide barrier. The well-supported British raider Hopewell Rock came ninth. Maher's Shockletz, whose regular jockey Harry Coffey was injured in a fall on Derby Day, ran sixth.

The result keeps Maher at the centre of Australian staying racing. With seven runners, four in the top six and a historic trifecta, it was one of the most dominant training performances seen on the first Tuesday in November.

Key takeaways

• Point Of Law, the favourite, won the 2026 Melbourne Cup by three and three-quarter lengths under Ethan Brown.
• Ciaron Maher became the first trainer to saddle the first three home, with Zahrann second and Juja Kibo third.
• The winner was formerly owned by King Charles III and Queen Camilla and switched to Maher about a month before the race.
• Ben Allen received a 16-meeting ban for excessive whip use on runaway leader Royal Supremacy.
• Chris Waller was fined A$50,000 after Asterix was scratched over an ointment error.

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Melbourne Cup? Point Of Law won it, ridden by Ethan Brown and trained by Ciaron Maher. He started as favourite and won by three and three-quarter lengths at Flemington on 3 November.

Why is Ciaron Maher's result historic? He trained the first three finishers, Point Of Law, Zahrann and Juja Kibo. No trainer had done that in the previous 165 runnings of the race.

Was anyone penalised after the race? Yes. Jockey Ben Allen was suspended for 16 meetings and fined A$5,000 for whip use, and trainer Chris Waller was fined A$50,000 over the withdrawal of Asterix.

Sources: ABC News, Racing Post, Canberra Times, 1News