What barrier did the 2026 Melbourne Cup favourite draw?

Favourite Point Of Law drew barrier 9 — widely judged the perfect gate, midfield with cover. Second favourite Trustyourinstinct copped barrier 18, which has produced just one Cup winner.

What is the most successful Melbourne Cup barrier?

Barrier 11 with nine winners (last: Americain in 2010), level with barrier 5 (last: Knight's Choice in 2024). Barriers 10, 14 and 8 have six wins each.

Can a horse win the Melbourne Cup from a wide barrier?

It's rare — since 2015 every Cup winner has jumped from barrier 19 or inside. In 2026 that puts James J Braddock (24), Wine Dark Sea (23), Vauban (22), Royal Supremacy (21) and Kizlyar (20) against history.

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Melbourne Cup Barrier Draw 2026

The draw was conducted at Flemington on Victoria Derby Day, Saturday 31 October. Here's every horse's gate — and what 165 years of Cup history says about it.

The full draw

Barrier	Horse	Jockey	No
1	Middle Earth	Mark Zahra	4
2	Knight's Choice	Robbie Dolan	3
3	Sons And Lovers	Dylan Browne McMonagle	1
4	Strictly Business	Dean Yendall	21
5	Soul Of Spain	Tommy Berry	14
6	Asterix	Jye McNeil	9
7	So You Are	Rachel King	16
8	Enfjaar	Ray Dawson	6
9	Point Of Law	Ethan Brown	20
10	Zakouma	William Pike	23
11	Zahrann	Ben Melham	15
12	Future History	Jamie Melham	17
13	Onesmoothoperator	Declan Bates	13
14	Juja Kibo	Sam Clipperton	11
15	Hopewell Rock	Zac Lloyd	12
16	Mr Monaco	Jabez Johnstone	22
17	Shockletz	Harry Coffey	24
18	Trustyourinstinct	James McDonald	2
19	Goodie Two Shoes	Wayne Lordan	10
20	Kizlyar	Beau Mertens	19
21	Royal Supremacy	Ben Allen	7
22	Vauban	Jordan Childs	5
23	Wine Dark Sea	Damian Lane	8
24	James J Braddock	Craig Williams	18

The barriers that win Cups

Barrier 11 — 9 wins
Last win: Americain (2010). Zahrann holds it in 2026.
Barrier 5 — 9 wins
Last win: Knight's Choice (2024). Soul Of Spain has it this year.
Barrier 10 — 6 wins
Last win: Protectionist (2014). Zakouma jumps from 10.
Barrier 14 — 6 wins
Last win: Makybe Diva (2005). Juja Kibo has it.
Barrier 8 — 6 wins
Last win: Half Yours (2025). Enfjaar this year.
Barrier 7, 15, 18 — 1 win each
So You Are, Hopewell Rock and Trustyourinstinct drew them.

The modern rule of thumb: since 2015, every Melbourne Cup winner has jumped from barrier 19 or inside. The Flemington 3200m start offers a long run to the first turn, but in a 24-horse field the inside gates save crucial ground — and the draw has sunk more Cup favourites than bad form ever has. Full analysis of what it means for the market is on our Cup tips page.

More 2026 Melbourne Cup coverage

Frequently asked questions

When was the 2026 Melbourne Cup barrier draw?›

Saturday 31 October 2026, at Flemington after the last race on Victoria Derby Day — four days before the Cup.

Who drew best in the 2026 Cup barrier draw?›

Point Of Law (9), Zahrann (11), Soul Of Spain (5), Middle Earth (1) and Strictly Business (4). The favourite could hardly have drawn better.

Who drew worst in the 2026 Cup barrier draw?›

James J Braddock copped barrier 24, the widest of all, with Wine Dark Sea (23), Vauban (22), Royal Supremacy (21) and Kizlyar (20) also outside the modern winning line.