Dual Melbourne Cup champion Half Yours is set for a challenging campaign as weights for the 2026 race have been released.

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer has been handed 59kg for this year’s Melbourne Cup, a significant 6kg rise from his winning weight 12 months ago.

Half Yours carried 52.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, and his weight for that event has now increased to 57.5kg, with Sir Delius assigned the topweight of 59kg.

Following consultations with industry groups, this year’s Cups will implement a minimum weight of 51kg, a 1kg increase on last year’s benchmark.

This 1kg rise also necessitates a 59kg minimum for the topweight when weights are initially announced.

While Sir Delius was the obvious topweight for the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 17, the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained galloper was not entered for the Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3.

This absence required an adjustment of 1.5kg to the Melbourne Cup weights to achieve the 59kg minimum topweight.

“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,” said David Hegan, Racing Victoria’s Head of Handicapping.

“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.”

“That increase applies to all Melbourne Cup entrants above the minimum weight.”

Hegan highlighted Highwayman, a recent winner of the English St Leger, as one of the more interesting contenders in the handicap.

Having achieved the same rating as the 2024 winner Jan Brueghel, Highwayman has been allocated 56.5kg under the new weight scale.

Last year’s Melbourne Cup runner-up, Goodie Two Shoes, will carry 55kg, an increase from the 51.5kg she shouldered in the previous year’s Cup.

Joseph O’Brien, trainer of two Cup winners, has 11 runners entered, including Sons And Lovers (57.5kg) and Defiantly (56.5kg), who are carrying significant weights.

Aeliana has been assigned 58kg for the Melbourne Cup and would have been the topweight, were it not for the 2kg weight-for-age allowance for mares.

The current Caulfield Cup favourite, Green Spaces, has been allocated 54.5kg following his Australian Derby victory at Randwick in the autumn, the same weight as European Group 3 winners Enfjaar and Wine Dark Sea.

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