Punters who recall the 2009 Melbourne Cup might feel a sense of déjà vu with Shockletz lining up in the 2026 running of the prestigious race.
The Ciaron Maher-trained mare carries the same Eales Racing colours as her sire, Shocking, who captured the imagination and the Cup in 2009.
The parallels extend further: Shockletz, a five-year-old, will bear the same 51kg weight as her father did on his Cup-winning day. Furthermore, she enters the 2026 race off the back of a victory in the identical race Shocking won prior to his Flemington triumph.
The coveted Melbourne Cup has been the long-held ambition for Laurence Eales, who also bred Shockletz from his mare Zelt.
“It was always on our radar if we could get her in,” Maher commented.
“She’s a horse we’ve been very, very patient with, and so has Laurence Eales, and she’s just developed and strengthened. I can only imagine how Laurence and his team of owners are feeling, winning it with the sire and then breeding one. They would be beside themselves just to be in the race and I think she’s got an extremely good chance.”
A Melbourne Cup victory for Shockletz in 2026 would place her sire, Shocking, into an esteemed group of stallions whose progeny have conquered the Flemington classic.
The most recent instance of a Melbourne Cup winner siring a winner of the same race was Black Knight in 1984, a son of Silver Knight. Grand Flaneur, Malua, and Comedy King are the other sires to have sired a Melbourne Cup champion.
Shockletz’s 2026 Melbourne Cup appearance will be her 21st start. Her career began in September 2024 with a second-place finish in a moderate 1400m maiden at Ballarat.
She then won a 1500m fillies and mares maiden at Bendigo at $1.45, earning a berth in the Group 2 Wakeful Stakes (2000m), though that proved a step too far.
Maher subsequently adjusted his sights, allowing Shockletz to progress through the grades. Over nine starts in three-year-old or benchmark company, she recorded five wins, reigniting the team’s hopes of realising their Melbourne Cup dream.
The groundwork for her 2026 Cup campaign was laid with three runs between May 2 and June 6, before the dedicated build-up to the first Tuesday in November began on the opening day of the racing season.
After finishing sixth over 1620m at Flemington on August 1, she ran fourth in a quick 2000m handicap at Caulfield four weeks later. This was followed by a dominant victory in the race now known as The Archer, which carries a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption.
Back in 2009, the 2500m Group 3 race was called The Lexus Stakes and was run on Derby Day, but it still provided the Melbourne Cup golden ticket that Shocking claimed.
Maher has since been able to focus solely on the 2026 Melbourne Cup. Shockletz then finished sixth in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m), before a close second in the Group 3 Tesio Stakes (2040m) under 58kg at Flemington on Cox Plate Day.
The leading trainer is extremely pleased with Shockletz’s preparation and sees similarities to High Emocean, who finished third in the 2022 Melbourne Cup, a race Maher won with Gold Trip.
“The old saying is you’ve got to beat the handicapper, well, she gets in with no weight and she flew here last Saturday,” Maher stated.
“She reminds me of a horse that we had that ran very well called High Emocean. She ran third, had no weight, snuck into the field, and she just gives me that feel. She might even be a little bit better than her and with no weight they can go to a new level.”
The only remaining question is who will partner Shockletz from barrier 17, as Harry Coffey, her rider for all three starts this season, suffered a collarbone injury in a Derby Day fall and his participation is uncertain.
Betting sites offer competitive racing odds for the Melbourne Cup.
