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Horse Racing Betting Tips - Antepost - The 2026 Melbourne Cup

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Publish Date: 02/11/2026

Fact checked by: Jordan Noble

Key Points

He ran a huge race on debut in the Caulfield Cup
The step up in trip will suit today’s betting tip
My selection has landed the same draw as last year’s winner

The Melbourne Cup is just around the corner. It’s known as the race that stops a nation, but in reality, it stops plenty around the world. I may be biased but I believe I have found a British raider worth backing, and he’s currently at a fantastic price of 20/1.

If you’re new, I’m RacingGav, and I've been the resident horse racing expert here since March 2025, I publish free horse racing betting tips every week, mostly daily selections but with antepost picks in the mix as and when I spot them. I also post a Lucky 15 every Saturday to add some fun to the ITV Racing.

I also produce non-tipping content too. You'll find big race trends, horses and trainers to follow, and educational guides to name but a few. Speaking of the latter, you may want to check out my article covering betting fundamentals, especially if you are primarily a casual punter who has tuned in for the Melbourne Cup. That said, even experienced bettors may also learn something new by reading it.

Betting advice

3 November 2026 - 04:00 Flemington - The 2026 Melbourne Cup - Enfjaar - @ 20/1 (5 places) - 0.5pt each way

Back Enfjaar at 20/1 with bet365!

As I write this article, bet365 is offering the best horse racing odds of 20/1 for Enfjaar to win the 2026 Melbourne Cup, with five places on offer. There’s also a generous welcome bonus for new customers. If you sign up and bet £10, you’ll get £30 in free bets. What more could you ask for?

Favourites have a terrible record in this race

If you look back at the last ten renewals of the Melbourne Cup (2016-2025), you will not find a single winning favourite. No horse shorter than 7/1 won the race during that ten year period, and seven out of those 10 won at a double-figure price. In 2024, for example, there was a 90/1 winner. I’m hoping the 2026 renewal has a 20/1 winner in the name of Enfjaar.

Enfjaar ran a huge race on his Australian debut in the Caulfield Cup

Back in August, Enfjaar took his form to a new level when he landed the Group 3 Glorious Stakes at Goodwood. That form worked out nicely with the second-placed Opportunity going on to finish third in the York Ebor, and fifth in the Long Distance Cup. The horse who came in third, Al Aasy, won his next two races in Group 2 and Group 3 company. Further back, the seventh-placed Midak won a Listed race next time out.

After his career-best performance at Goodwood, Roger Varian has aimed high with Enfjaar. After a 77-day break (which I’ll come onto), he made his Australian debut running in the Caulfield Cup. The winner of that race scooped over £1.6m and he wasn’t far away in third, beaten by just a length, and collecting almost £200,000 in the process.

The step up in trip will suit Enfjaar

Given his Caulfield Cup performance, connections decided that Enfjaar would stay in Australia and target the Melbourne Cup. This is another level of race altogether, with a £4.5 million prize pot where £2.25 million goes to the winner. Amazingly, even horses finishing from 13th to 24th each receive $100,000 AUS (circa £50,000) effectively just for lining up.

The Caulfield Cup is run over a distance of 1m 4f, and the Melbourne Cup is a step up in trip to 2m. Enfjaar’s regular jockey, Ray Dawson, doesn’t just think he’ll stay the new trip either, he believes it will bring out the best in him. With the strength of his Caulfield Cup run, any further progress must make him a real contender for the Melbourne Cup. Ray Dawson also hinted he “just felt the pinch” at the finish of the Caulfield Cup, which came immediately after a break. Based on that, there should be more to come fitness wise too.

Enfjaar has landed the same draw as last year’s winner

We now have the full field confirmed for the Melbourne Cup and also the draw. Enfjaar has landed stall eight of 24, the same stall that Half Yours won the Melbourne Cup from last year. Trainer Roger Varian described it as an “absolutely perfect” draw. Historically, horses drawn in stalls five through to eight have done very well in the Melbourne Cup.

For me, it is very much a ‘no excuses’ draw. Far enough away from the rail to avoid being caught on it, but not so far away to need to run wide. Provided Enfjaar breaks well from the stalls, Ray Dawson will have plenty of options and can hopefully secure a strong early position. If Ray can get him covered up and settled, he will have every chance of staying over this longer trip and running a massive race.

Can Enfjaar bring the Melbourne Cup back to Britain?

As you have seen above, you can make a strong case for Enfjaar here in the Melbourne Cup. He ran a huge race on his Australian Debut in the Caulfield Cup and he did so whilst potentially in need of the run. Regular rider Ray Dawson is confident he’ll stay the longer trip and partners him in this race. If he does improve on his Caulfield Cup run for the step up in trip and the race fitness, he must have an excellent chance here. He’s landed the same draw as last year’s winner - 8, so he should have no excuses on that front.

In terms of negatives, the obvious one is the fact that he could fail to stay this longer trip. He has never been tried over 2m, so it is a step into the unknown here. However, Ray feels he will stay the trip and an Australian two miles is arguably less taxing than 2m in the UK. Ultimately, I don’t think the connections would go through the rigmarole of having a runner in the Melbourne Cup (the travel, quarantine etc) unless they felt he had a serious chance.

All elements taken into consideration, I feel that Enfjaar is worth a bet here, as I think his chance is significantly stronger than the current best odds of 20/1 suggests. Whilst I’m hopeful he’ll stay, you’re never sure until they do it. Therefore, this bet is only half stakes for me.

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