{"id":950681,"date":"2026-11-03T05:06:09","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:06:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/950681\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T05:06:09","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:06:09","slug":"favourite-wins-thriller-as-aussie-trainer-ciaron-maher-scores-historic-cup-trifecta-live","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/950681\/","title":{"rendered":"Favourite wins thriller as Aussie trainer Ciaron Maher scores historic Cup trifecta \u2014 LIVE"},"content":{"rendered":"

Favourite Point of Law has won a thrilling 2026 Melbourne Cup <\/a>as trainer Ciaron Maher sensationally pulled of a historic trifecta in the great race.<\/p>\n

Point of Law, ridden by Ethan Brown, surged home to overpower the field after outsider Royal Supremacy tore away early and took a huge lead running into the straight.<\/p>\n

Zahrann finished second, ahead of Juja Kibo and Sons and Lovers in fourth.<\/p>\n

Gallen v Asofa-Solomona | Friday November 6 from 7pm AEDT | Australian sporting icon and crossover boxing king Paul Gallen returns to the ring to face his biggest opponent yet, Nelson \u2018Big Nasty\u2019 Asofa-Solomona. | Order now on Kayo Sports.<\/a><\/p>\n

Australian Maher became the first trainer in the 166-year history of the race to train the first three place-getter, while Brown claimed his first Melbourne Cup triumph.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t wake me up. It\u2019s an amazing feeling,\u201d Brown said post-race.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s been well documented he (Ciaron Maher) talked me out of horse training and he\u2019s supported me and backed me.<\/p>\n

\u201cQuite speechless.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe has the best turn of foot in the race by far. I had to stay cool, cut the benc and once he got the clear running, he was too good.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to be a superstar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Point of Law won the Geelong Cup in dominant fashion to secure his place in the Cup. He lost favouritism for much of race day to fancied English runner Hopewell Rock but reclaimed betting favouritism in the last 15 minutes before the race. <\/p>\n

Hopewell Rock finished ninth while Royal Supremacy, ridden boldly by Ben Allen, held on gamely for fifth ahead of Shockletz.<\/p>\n

MORE TO COME<\/p>\n

FINISHING ORDER: Where every horse placed from first to last<\/a><\/p>\n

DIVIDENDS: What the winner, trifecta and first 4 paid<\/a><\/p>\n

PREDICTIONS: Who backed the winner?<\/a><\/p>\n

MORE TO COME<\/p>\n

LIVE UPDATES (if the blog does not appear, click here<\/a>)<\/p>\n

WALLER FINED AS CUP RUNNER SCRATCHED <\/p>\n

Earlier, trainer Chris Waller has received a $50,000 fine from Racing Victoria stewards after Cup runner Asterix was scratched due to being found to have a prohibited substance applied on its legs.<\/p>\n

Waller owned up to the \u2018simple mistake\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe horse gets the same treatment every day, it\u2019s a very basic liniment most stables use and I guess the pressure of race day, the person that looks after the horse, put it on his legs right in front of the security guard, nothing to hide,\u201d Waller told News Corp.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pressure of raceday, a very simple mistake.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing was hidden, the security guard was right there, as soon as it happened we knew there was a problem.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not her (the stablehand\u2019s) fault, I\u2019ve got to wear the responsibility, it\u2019s my team. It\u2019s rare for us to make mistakes but the pressure of raceday, you can\u2019t explain how it affects everybody, everyone is on edge on Melbourne Cup Day and you think a little bit differently.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chief steward Rob Montgomery admitted the stable\u2019s error was a \u2018mistake\u2019 and took into account Waller\u2019s outstanding record with stewards.<\/p>\n

According to Racing Victoria, Waller\u2019s horse Asterix was discovered to have medication Penetrene on both forelegs by RV stewards.<\/p>\n

The application of Penetrene on raceday is prohibited, hence Asterix was scratched.<\/p>\n

It means that there will only be 23 runners in the great race.<\/p>\n

\u201cActing on a report from the Racing Victoria (RV) Compliance Assurance Team (CAT), RV Stewards today interviewed trainer Chris Waller, after it had been established that Asterix, which was engaged to compete in Race 7 at Flemington, the Lexus Melbourne Cup, was found to have had the medication Penetrene administered to both forelegs in its stable on race morning,\u201d stewards said via a RV statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cPenetrene is a topical product marketed as an anti-inflammatory and analgesic liniment. Penetrene is used topically on horses for symptomatic relief of muscle strains, sprains and muscle soreness.<\/p>\n

\u201cAny substance administered to a horse on raceday, including any topical application amongst any other route of administration is considered a medication.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvidence was taken from Mr Waller, members of his stable staff, Mr Tim George (RV CAT) and Dr Edwina Wilkes (RV Regulatory Veterinarian).<\/p>\n

\u201cSubsequently acting under AR 249 (3), Stewards ordered the withdrawal of Asterix at 10.33am.<\/p>\n

\u201cStewards will continue their inquiries into the circumstances with Mr Waller later today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asterix was one of the outsiders of the field, rated a $51 chance, and was to be ridden by Jye McNeil \u2014 a former winner of the race on Twilight Payment in 2020.<\/p>\n

JOCKEY\u2019S REMARKABLE RECOVERY (via Paul Barbieri, Punters.com.au<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Harry Coffey was sensationally cleared to ride Shockletz in just over 48 hours after suffering a collarbone fracture in a race fall.<\/p>\n

Coffey was injured on Saturday when Pondalowie fell during the Empire Rose Stakes at Flemington, with the Emma-Lee and David Browne-trained horse fortunately not being injured whatsoever.<\/p>\n

Coffey was able to walk back to the jockeys room by himself after the incident, but was immediately taken to hospital for scans on his injury as questions were raised as to who\u2019d replace him in the Melbourne Cup.<\/p>\n

Harry Coffey returns to the mounting yard after falling off Pondalowie in Race Eight, the TAB Empire Rose Stakes during Derby Day at Flemington Racecourse on October 31, 2026 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock\/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n

Shockletz trainer Ciaron Maher, though, didn\u2019t find a replacement and simply said at the time he\u2019d give Coffey \u2013 the horse\u2019s regular jockey \u2013 the chance to prove his fitness.<\/p>\n

And, that\u2019s what\u2019s come to pass with 31-year-old Coffey having surgery on Sunday to stabilise the fracture and get himself ready for the ride.<\/p>\n

On Monday afternoon, the jockey received medical clearances from orthopaedic surgeon Dr Andrew Oppy and Racing Victoria chief medical officer Dr Ben Barresi to ride on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Coffey spoke to Channel 9\u2019s Tony Jones to explain how he was able to be fit enough to fulfill his Cup day engagements.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know if I\u2019m the miracle man. The team who worked on me are,\u201d Coffey said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had the surgery on Sunday morning. I recovered well… They said if I have confidence in it, it\u2019ll hold up.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll uphold all my riding engagements today which we decided was the best way forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maher said Shockletz owner-breeder Laurence Eales gave Coffey every chance to prove he was right to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s fantastic and great for Laurence to do it, he\u2019s normally pretty correct, Harry,\u201d Maher told News Corp.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve broken plenty of collarbones before and ridden, so I knew it was possible.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were certainly going to give him every opportunity to do it, he says he\u2019s good, been into Racing Victoria and got the clearance.<\/p>\n

\u201cHarry is a very straight-up fella, I didn\u2019t ring him (Sunday), I rang him this morning and he said you didn\u2019t ring me yesterday,\u201d Maher continued with a laugh.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe knows the horse very well, he\u2019s fit as a flea and structurally he won\u2019t break.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure there will be a little bit of discomfort, but the adrenaline will kick in.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s weighted to win the race, she\u2019s got good soft track form and weight comes into it more when the track is affected by rain.\u201d<\/p>\n

MELBOURNE CUP FIELD: Which 24 horses made final cut<\/a><\/p>\n

BARRIER DRAW: Full results and who fared best \u2014 and worst<\/a><\/p>\n

MELBOURNE CUP ULTIMATE GUIDE: Everything you need to know<\/a><\/p>\n

ORDER OF ENTRY: Latest in the race for Cup spots<\/a><\/p>\n

DUMMIES\u2019 GUIDE: Melbourne Cup for beginners<\/a><\/p>\n

WEATHER: Why wet weather could cause havoc as Cup day forecast revealed<\/a><\/p>\n

FLEMINGTON RACE CARD & RESULTS (all times AEDT)<\/p>\n

10:45am Race 1 Darley Maribyrnong Plate 1000m Group 3<\/p>\n

1st 6. Amelia\u2019s Affair ($8.00, $2.40), 2nd 1. Royal Press ($1.40) 3rd 8. La La Lilly ($2.20), 4th 7. Funded<\/p>\n

11:20am Race 2 Pin & Win Community Handicap 2000m Benchmark 80<\/p>\n

1st 13. Yauson ($3.60, $1.57), 2nd 12. Mr. O\u2019Reilly ($4.20) 3rd 1. Military Academy ($11.75), 4th 6. Shaiyhar\/14. Ichnusa <\/p>\n

12:00pm Race 3 TAB One Pool Trophy 1800m Listed<\/p>\n

1st 10. Billycart ($11, $2.75), 2nd 1. Mister Whiskers ($2.20), 3rd 2. Star of Macedon ($1.40), 4th 9. Tanabata<\/p>\n

12:40pm Race 4 The Schweppervescence Plate 1000m Feature Handicap<\/p>\n

1st 4. Peyton ($5.00, $2.00), 2nd 13. Fovea ($3.90), 3rd 7. Strike Package ($6.00), 4th 8. Gin Twist)<\/p>\n

1:20pm Race 5 Australian Heritage Cup 2800m Benchmark 96<\/p>\n

1st 16. Beach Pad ($12, $3.80), 2nd 3. Highland Bling ($8.00), 3rd 10. After Summer ($7), 4th 9. Autumn Mystery<\/p>\n

1:55pm Race 6 Asahi Super Dry Plate 1800m Listed<\/p>\n

3:00pm Race 7 Lexus Melbourne Cup 3200m Group 1<\/p>\n

3:50pm Race 8 Crown Amanda Elliott 1400m Listed<\/p>\n

4:35pm Race 9 The Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes 1400m Group 3<\/p>\n

5:15pm Race 10 Channel 9 Trophy 1400m Handicap<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Favourite Point of Law has won a thrilling 2026 Melbourne Cup as trainer Ciaron Maher sensationally pulled of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":950682,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[43,44,85,41,39,42,40],"class_list":["post-950681","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-sports","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950681","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=950681"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/950681\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/950682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=950681"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=950681"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=950681"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}