Melbourne Cup 2026 Result: Point Of Law Wins As Ciaron Maher Trains The First Three Home

Point Of Law produced a decisive late burst to win the 166th running of the Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, giving trainer Ciaron Maher a second success in Australia's most famous race and completing the first clean sweep of the first three places in the history of the contest.

Melbourne Cup 2026 Result: Top Five

1. Point Of Law (Ethan Brown, trained by Ciaron Maher)
2. Zahrann (Ben Melham, trained by Ciaron Maher)
3. Juja Kibo (Sam Clipperton, trained by Ciaron Maher)
4. Sons And Lovers (Dylan Browne McMonagle, trained by Joseph O'Brien)
5. Royal Supremacy (trained by Ciaron Maher)

How Point Of Law Won The Melbourne Cup

Point Of Law, a four-year-old who had won the Geelong Cup only weeks earlier, was making just his sixth career start in the $10.2 million contest, which was run over 3200 metres on ground officially described as Soft 5 after rain earlier in the day. Drawn in barrier nine, he was settled by Brown in the early stages before being brought into contention approaching the home straight. His stablemate Royal Supremacy had made the running and was reported to have built a lead of around 20 lengths at the halfway stage, but the tiring leader was reeled in on the inside and Point Of Law pulled clear in the closing stages to score with authority. The winner was previously owned by King Charles III and Queen Camilla before being purchased by Maher, adding a notable footnote to a memorable renewal.

Ciaron Maher Makes Melbourne Cup History

Maher, who saddled a record seven runners in the race, also trained Zahrann and Juja Kibo, who finished second and third under Melham and Clipperton respectively, with Royal Supremacy holding on for fifth. No trainer had previously filled the first three places in the 166-year history of the Cup, and the achievement was all the more significant for the stable given that its only earlier winner in the race was Gold Trip in 2022. For Brown, the success represented a remarkable personal triumph, as the jockey recovered from a near-fatal fall in the 2023 Australian Guineas to claim the first Melbourne Cup victory of his career. Point Of Law succeeds Half Yours, who won the race in 2025 under Jamie Melham.

Other Notable Performances And Pre-Race Developments

Joseph O'Brien's Sons And Lovers was the best of the remainder in fourth under Dylan Browne McMonagle, with Shockletz sixth for the Maher stable and O'Brien's James J Braddock seventh. Hopewell Rock, one of the market leaders for the George Boughey stable, was unable to land a telling blow and finished ninth. The build-up to the race had been overshadowed by the late withdrawal of Asterix, who was scratched by Racing Victoria stewards after it was found that the Chris Waller-trained runner had been administered a medication in breach of the rules on raceday, leaving jockey Jye McNeil without a ride. Twenty-three runners ultimately went to post.