Melbourne Cup 2026 Betting Tips - Is Aeliana Searching for 3200m?
The early form for the 2026 Melbourne Cup is taking shape, with top stayers showcasing their potential. Leading the predictions is Aeliana, the standout after winning both the Ranvet and Tancred Stakes and now considered the best bet for the Cup. Ohope Wins, winner of the New Zealand and Australian Oaks, is put forward as the value pick, showing clear staying promise. Both horses are shaping as ones to follow leading up to the Flemington showpiece.
- Aeliana is the early best bet for the 2026 Melbourne Cup after major Group 1 victories
- Ohope Wins is a strong value pick, having completed the NZ/Australian Oaks double
- Both horses are recommended as leading contenders to watch this spring
James McDonald celebrates aboard Aeliana after winning the 2026 Tancred Stakes. (Getty)
The road to the 2026 Melbourne Cup is beginning to take shape, with several stayers enhancing their credentials through the autumn and winter months ahead of the spring carnival.
We've identified our early best bet, value selection and roughie for the race, highlighting three horses who look capable of making an impact at Flemington in November.
For betting coverage and previews across all codes, visit Live Racing & Sports Updates.
2026 Melbourne Cup Tips
2026 Melbourne Cup Best Bet - Aeliana
Aeliana had been teasing punters since her dominant 2025 Australian Derby victory, but there were still plenty of encouraging signs before a spring campaign that tapered off late.
A pair of runner-up finishes opened her 2026 account, with both defeats coming behind the outstanding Autumn Glow, while rising distances proved beneficial at her next two starts.
The mare captured the Ranvet Stakes over 2000m, defeating Sir Delius, who subsequently franked the form in the Queensland Stakes, before relishing the rise to 2400m seven days later in the Tancred Stakes.
That Tancred victory came at the expense of Dubai Honour, a tough globetrotter and four-time Group 1 winner, while Aeliana now heads the Caulfield Cup market and could be effective over further.
2026 Melbourne Cup Value Bet - Ohope Wins
Admittedly, the 2026 Australian Oaks did not appear the strongest edition of the race, but Ohope Wins was still good enough to complete the New Zealand Oaks-Australian Oaks double when taking out the April 11 feature at Randwick.
The daughter of Ocean Park was having just her second start for Chris Waller after being unsuited by the drop back in trip first-up in the Vinery Stud Stakes.
She had also completed a winning hat-trick in New Zealand before crossing the Tasman and has clearly relished racing over 2400m on spacious tracks in both of her feature-race triumphs.
While a Melbourne Cup campaign presents a significant rise in class as an early-season four-year-old, Ohope Wins has effectively only had one extended preparation and profiles as a genuine staying type for the future.
Verdict
Our tips for the 2026 Melbourne Cup are:
Aeliana
To Win
$9.00 - 2 Units
Lightning fast betting
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Ohope Wins
Each Way
$51.00 - 1 Unit
Lightning fast betting
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18+. T&Cs apply
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