2025 Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup Weights Released

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Tue 16 Sep 2025 04:25

Bets.com.au Staff 16 Sep 2025

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Via Sistina & Al Riffa share topweight (59kg) for 2025 Melbourne Cup
Buckaroo & Light Infantry Man lead Caulfield Cup with 59kg each
Full entry and weights lists available online

Al Riffa has been allotted 59kg for the 2025 Melbourne Cup. (Getty)

Reigning Australian Racehorse of the Year Via Sistina and Irish St Leger winner Al Riffa have been allotted joint topweight of 59kg for the $10 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), while Group 1 winners Buckaroo and Light Infantry Man head the $5 million Sportsbet Caulfield Cup (2400m) with the same impost. The weights were confirmed on Tuesday via a Racing Victoria release.

Racing Victoria’s Head of Handicapping David Hegan said Al Riffa’s dominant Irish St Leger win under Joseph O’Brien demanded top billing alongside Chris Waller’s star mare. “Given his performance on Sunday and the profile he brings to Australia, Al Riffa warranted equal standing with Via Sistina at the top of the Melbourne Cup weights,” Hegan explained.

With neither Al Riffa nor Via Sistina entered for the Caulfield Cup, handicaps for that race were lifted 2kg to satisfy the new 59kg topweight requirement. “The revised policy introduced this year raised the minimum topweight from 58kg to 59kg, with the floor moving to 51kg,” Hegan said. “Both Cups must also be declared with a minimum topweight of 57kg, so weights may be adjusted again at final acceptance.”

Accordingly, Buckaroo - last year’s Underwood Stakes winner - and Light Infantry Man (Ciaron Maher) were both given 59kg for the Caulfield Cup on October 18. Buckaroo is also entered for the Melbourne Cup, where he has been allotted 57kg.

Next in line are Vauban and Arapaho on 58.5kg for the Caulfield Cup, with both dropping to 56.5kg should they contest Flemington on November 4.

Fairytale 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice has been allotted 55kg, up from the 51.5kg he carried to victory last year, as he bids to become the first horse since Makybe Diva in 2005 to defend his crown. Last year’s Caulfield Cup hero Duke De Sessa will not take part, sidelined by injury.

Additional quotes from RV Head of Handicapping David Hegan

“This year marks a change in Group 1 handicapping in Victoria, where the topweights must now be assigned 59kg and the minimum weight for older horses is 51kg, which represents a 1kg increase overall in the weight structure compared to recent years.”

“The topweights for the Melbourne Cup are clear cut, with Via Sistina and Al Riffa both set 59kg which is the new minimum topweight requirement in both Cups. However, they are two different competitors with contrasting form lines.”

“Via Sistina’s record speaks for itself, and she carries the single best performance rating of any nominated horse following her dominant eight-length win in last year’s Cox Plate. Her class is clear in races up to 2000m, with the staying challenge of two miles the only major query.”

“Al Riffa was a dominant winner of the Group 1 Irish St Leger on Sunday. He has now won Group 1 races at distances ranging from 1400m to 2800m and follows other recent winners of the Irish St Leger in Sonnyboyliston (2021) and Order Of St George (2017) in being at the top of the Melbourne Cup weights.”

“Reigning Melbourne Cup champion Knight’s Choice carried 51.5kg last year so when factoring in the new weight scale, he effectively moves up 2.5kg, even though he’s assigned 55kg. Comparatively, two other lightweight winners in the past decade, Almandin (52kg) and Prince of Penzance (53kg), both progressed 2.5kg the following year from their victories.”

“In the Caulfield Cup, Light Infantry Man and Buckaroo are the standout Group 1 weight-for-age performers and carry the highest international rating performance.”

“Light Infantry Man was decisive in his second win at Group 1 weight-for-age level in the Australian Cup back in March, while Buckaroo easily won the Group 1 Underwood Stakes last year, then finished a head behind Via Sistina in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and was runner-up in the Caulfield Cup. Both horses are therefore allotted 59kg in the Caulfield Cup, which is the equivalent of weight-for-age.”

Click here for the full list of Sportsbet Caulfield Cup weights and the Order of Entry as at 16 September 2025.

Click here for the full list of Lexus Melbourne Cup weights and the Order of Entry as at 16 September 2025.