King Charles' Former Horse Point of Law Wins Melbourne Cup
A horse that belonged to King Charles until earlier this year has won the Melbourne Cup, and the three-year-old did it in a one-two-three for a single stable.
The race
Point of Law went into the 2026 race as favourite and justified it at Flemington Racecourse. Jockey Ethan Brown guided the Ciaron Maher-trained stallion past Royal Supremacy, another Maher runner, who at one stage led the field by about 20 lengths. The race is worth $10m.
Zahrann came second and Juja Kibo third, both from the Maher stable. Maher fielded a record seven runners and became the first trainer to fill the top three places. The Joseph O'Brien-trained Sons and Lovers was fourth.
From Newmarket to Flemington
An Australian syndicate bought Point of Law from the royal stable in August, after he won the Group 3 Bahrain Trophy at Newmarket in July. A strong run in the Geelong Cup then took him to the top of the betting.
It is the second Melbourne Cup winner for Maher. "It has been a whirlwind," he told Nine, adding that he was proud of the team for getting three horses into the first three places.
Brown's comeback
For Brown the win follows a heavy fall at Flemington in the 2023 Australian Guineas. He spent six months out of the saddle and questioned his future in racing.
"Please don't wake me up," he told Channel Nine afterwards, calling the win a dream come true. He said he was inches from losing his life, and that he had a slow burn inside him to come back.
Before the start
The day began with a penalty for trainer Chris Waller. He was fined $50,000, and Asterix was withdrawn after the horse was found to have been given anti-inflammatory medication on race day.
The liniment involved, Penetrene, is generally allowed on horses, but treatments on race day are banned outright. Waller said his team applied it to the forelegs of Asterix and that the mistake was his responsibility. That left him with one runner, Soul of Spain, who finished 13th.
Robbie Williams gave a pre-race performance, and 23 of the expected 24 runners paraded in the mounting yard.
Our view
The syndicate bought Point of Law only a few months before the race, so the win came soon after the change of owner. The report does not say what the syndicate paid or what is planned for the horse next, and those details could show how the win changes his future.
Source: the Guardian