2026 Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup Weights Released

Bets.com.au Staff

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Last updated: Thu 17 Sep 2026 04:43

Bets.com.au Staff 1 hour ago

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Sir Delius has been allocated 59kg topweight for the 2026 Caulfield Cup
Reigning champion Half Yours heads the Melbourne Cup weights with 59kg
Different weight scales will apply across the two Cups for the second straight year
Full Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup weights and orders of entry are included below

Half Yours winning the 2025 Melbourne Cup. (Getty)

Sir Delius has been handed topweight for the 2026 Caulfield Cup, with his absence from the Melbourne Cup creating different weight scales for Australia’s two biggest staying handicaps.

Green Spaces Gets 54.5kg In Caulfield Cup
Half Yours Heads Melbourne Cup Weights
Full 2026 Cup Weights And Order Of Entry

The three-time Group 1 winner has been allocated 59kg for the $6.55 million Caulfield Cup (2400m), which will be run for the 150th time this spring.

However, Sir Delius was not nominated for the $10.2 million Melbourne Cup (3200m), leaving reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours as the highest-rated horse among the Flemington entries.

Half Yours has consequently been given 59kg for the Melbourne Cup but 57.5kg for the Caulfield Cup.

It is the second successive year that horses entered in both Cups have received different weights across the two races.

Melbourne Cup entrants above the minimum have effectively been lifted 1.5kg to satisfy the requirement that at least one horse is allocated 59kg when weights are released.

Racing Victoria Head of Handicapping David Hegan said Sir Delius was the clear benchmark for the Caulfield Cup.

“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.

“Last year saw the introduction of a 1kg overall increase to the weight structure of both races where topweights must be assigned 59kg at the release of weights and the minimum weight for older horses is 51kg.

“Half Yours was the dominant Caulfield and Melbourne Cup champion in 2025 and has been weighted accordingly. He effectively rises 4.5kg from his Melbourne Cup performance before the additional 1.5kg was applied to ensure a 59kg topweight.”

Half Yours completed the Caulfield-Melbourne Cup double in 2025 and faces a significant rise in the weights if he attempts to defend both titles.

Chris Waller’s Buckaroo and Ciaron Maher-trained Light Infantry Man sit immediately below Sir Delius in the Caulfield Cup with 57kg.

Light Infantry Man has been allocated 58.5kg for the Melbourne Cup, while Buckaroo was not among the nominations for the Flemington feature.

Waller pair Birdman and Aeliana have each received 56.5kg for the Caulfield Cup and 58kg for the Melbourne Cup.

International contender Sons And Lovers heads the overseas weights at 56kg for Caulfield and 57.5kg for Melbourne.

Hegan said Sons And Lovers’ staying record had been a key factor in his allocation.

“From an international viewpoint, Sons And Lovers has proven his staying power with Group 2 wins at 2800m and 3000m and he also shouldered 63.5kg at his most recent start when running a slashing second over 2414m at Leopardstown,” Hegan said.

Green Spaces Gets 54.5kg In Caulfield Cup

Early Caulfield Cup favourite Green Spaces has been allotted 54.5kg as Bjorn Baker targets the spring staying feature with the ATC Derby winner.

International runners Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea have also received 54.5kg, while Royal Supremacy sits on the same mark after earning ballot exemption through his Queensland Winter Carnival campaign.

Saint George has been given 53.5kg but remains outside the automatic qualification criteria and could strengthen his position in Saturday’s Naturalism Stakes (2000m), which offers the winner ballot exemption into the Caulfield Cup.

His Ciaron Maher-trained stablemate Zahrann has 52.5kg, while Mornington Cup winner Kings Valley is on the 51kg minimum.

Caulfield specialists Kingswood and She’s A Hustler have been allocated 55kg and 53kg respectively.

Hegan also highlighted Buckaroo’s strong Group 1 record despite the gelding being winless since his runner-up finish in the 2024 Caulfield Cup.

“In the Caulfield Cup, whilst Buckaroo hasn’t won since finishing second in the 2024 Caulfield Cup, he’s consistently placed in Group 1 races and his runner-up finish to Via Sistina in the 2025 Cox Plate has him one of the highest rated horses in the race. He’s been given 57kg as a result,” Hegan said.

Half Yours Heads Melbourne Cup Weights

Half Yours sits at the top of the Melbourne Cup weights on 59kg as he attempts to become the latest horse to successfully defend the race.

Light Infantry Man follows on 58.5kg, with Birdman and Aeliana on 58kg.

Joseph O’Brien has several prominent international contenders, including Trustyourinstinct on 57kg and Sons And Lovers on 57.5kg.

Prix Kergorlay winner Defiantly has 56.5kg and is already assured of a Melbourne Cup start through ballot exemption, while O’Brien’s 2025 runner-up Goodie Two Shoes has been given 55kg.

English St Leger winner Highwayman has received 56.5kg after his rapid rise through the staying ranks.

Hegan said Highwayman had been weighted on a comparable scale to 2024 St Leger winner Jan Brueghel.

“One of the more interesting runners to handicap was Highwayman who capped a meteoric rise with a dominant win in the Group 1 English St Leger. In doing so he achieved the same rating as Jan Brueghel in 2024 and has effectively been given the same weight under the relative scale at 56.5kg,” Hegan said.

The same weight has been allocated to 2024 Melbourne Cup winner Knight’s Choice.

Andrew Ramsden Stakes winner Zakouma has 52kg and ballot exemption, while Archer Stakes winner Shockletz remains on the 51kg minimum despite securing a guaranteed start.

Hegan said Shockletz was unaffected by the 1.5kg Melbourne Cup uplift because she remained on the minimum.

“That increase applies to all Melbourne Cup entrants above the minimum weight, meaning that a horse like Shockletz, having earned ballot exemption via Saturday’s Lexus Archer Stakes over 2500m, doesn’t rise from the minimum weight of 51kg,” he said.

Weights can still be raised at final acceptance time for either Cup if the highest-weighted runner in the declared field is carrying less than the required 57kg.