The Melbourne Racing Club has received 124 nominations for its showpiece event, the Caulfield Cup.
This Group 1 handicap, now boasting a $6 million prize, will be run over 2400 metres on October 17.
Of the 124 entries, 32 are from international stables, representing trainers from Ireland, England, and France.
This year’s international entry count is higher than the 12 nominations received by the MRC last year, but the overall number is down from 147 in the previous year. In 2024, there were 173 overall entries, including 36 from overseas.
The deadline for nominations this year was two weeks later than in the previous year.
Dual Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien has the most significant entry among international trainers, with 15 of the 20 Irish nominations. His father, Aidan, has one nomination, while Willie Mullins has three, and Emmet Mullins has one.
Goodie Two Shoes, the runner-up in last year’s Melbourne Cup to Half Yours, is among Joseph O’Brien’s entries for the Caulfield Cup.
Presage Nocturne, who finished fourth in last year’s edition, is entered again for trainer Alessandro Botti. Furthur, who ran 11th in the Melbourne Cup last year, is one of three nominations for the Caulfield Cup from trainer Andrew Balding.
The only international Group 1 winner among the nominations is the Joseph O’Brien-trained Tennessee Stud, a colt who won the Criterium De Saint Cloud, a race for two-year-olds, in October 2024.
Encouragingly, the top six finishers from last year’s Caulfield Cup have been nominated again, including the winner, Half Yours. This mare is one of three entries from the stable of Tony and Calvin McEvoy, although it is expected she will target the Cox Plate.
The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott stable has five entries, including Vauban and Sir Delius. These two, along with Half Yours, are anticipated to carry significant weight when the Caulfield Cup handicaps are released next month.
As expected, Chris Waller holds the largest number of entries with 18, including Aeliana, Autumn Boy, Buckaroo, Ohope Wins, and River Of Stars. Ciaron Maher follows with 15 entries, which include Point Of Law, Light Infantry Man, Middle Earth, Juja Kibo, and King Of The Sea.
Bjorn Baker will aim to emulate his father Murray, who achieved the Australian Derby – Caulfield Cup double with Mongolian Khan in 2015.
Green Spaces, winner of the Derby earlier this year, is joined by So You Are and Thebudgiesmugla as entries for the Caulfield Cup.
MRC Chief Executive Officer Tanya Fullarton commented that the quality and depth of nominations signify the importance of this milestone edition of the race.
“The 150th Caulfield Cup is a significant milestone for the Melbourne Racing Club and Australian racing, and we are delighted with the quality and depth of horses nominated for this historic running,” Fullarton said.
“With 24 Group 1 winners among the nominations, including reigning Caulfield and Melbourne Cups champion Half Yours and an exciting group of emerging four-year-olds, there is enormous quality already building towards October.
“We have made this year’s Caulfield Cup the richest in the race’s history at $6 million, and the strong increase in international nominations adds another dimension to what is shaping as an outstanding 150th running of one of Australia’s great races.”
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