Point of Law justified his favouritism at the 2026 Melbourne Cup after the three-year-old stallion that was owned by King Charles until earlier this year reeled in Royal Supremacy in a thrilling feature race at Flemington Racecourse. Jockey Ethan Brown guided the Ciaron Maher-trained horse to victory in the $10m race after Royal Supremacy – another in Maher’s stable – had led by about 20 lengths at one point. Maher had a record seven horses in Tuesday’s race and became the first trainer to achieve the trifecta, with Zahrann coming in second and another from his stable, Juja Kibo, third.
The Joseph O’Brien-trained Sons and Lovers finished fourth. It is the second time Maher has overseen a winner in the “race that stops the nation”, while victory for Brown marked a stunning turnaround in his fortunes after he nearly died in a horrendous fall three years ago. Point of Law was bought by an Australian syndicate from King Charles in August and surged to the top of the betting after a strong performance in the Geelong Cup.
Stunning horse this,” Brown told Channel Nine after his victory, adding that winning the Melbourne Cup was a dream come true. I was confident in the horse. Everyone I’ve spoken to said they’ve never gone in with that confidence.
He had the best turn of foot in the race. I thought he ran really well and he’s going to be a future star if he’s not already one today.” Brown spent six months out of the saddle after a serious fall in the 2023 Australian Guineas at Flemington that left him in hospital and considering his future in racing. There was a slow burn inside of me [to come back].” Point of Law was purchased from the royal stable in the UK after winning the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket in July.
Earlier, top trainer Chris Waller was fined $50,000 after his contender Asterix was scratched having been found to have received anti-inflammatory medication on race-day. The application of Penetrene is generally allowed on horses but there is a blanket ban on race-day treatments. Waller revealed its use on the forelegs of Asterix, part-owned by former New Zealand cricketer Mark Greatbatch, hours before the race was a mistake.
It’s rare for us to make mistakes but the pressure of race day, you can’t explain how it affects everybody, everyone is on edge on Melbourne Cup Day and you think a little bit differently.” It left Hall of Fame trainer Waller with just one horse in the race, Soul of Spain, who finished 13th.
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