Point Of Law wins Melbourne Cup as Maher sweeps first three places

Point Of Law won the 2026 Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, with Ethan Brown guiding the horse formerly owned by King Charles to victory. BBC Sport reported that Brown brought the early favourite through from the middle of the field before taking charge in the closing stages.

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The finish completed a sweep of the first three places for trainer Ciaron Maher. According to ABC News, Zahrann finished second and Juja Kibo third, with Point Of Law winning by 3.75 lengths. It was Brown's first Melbourne Cup success and Maher's second, achieved with a horse making only the sixth start of his career.

Royal Supremacy, another Maher runner, had forced the chasing horses to make up a substantial deficit. ABC reported that he was as much as 20 lengths clear at the 1,000-metre mark and still held a large advantage entering the straight. Point Of Law caught him, while Royal Supremacy ultimately finished fifth and stablemate Shockletz took sixth.

Brown described patience as central to the ride in his post-race interview, according to the BBC. The broadcaster reported that Point Of Law had been bought from the King earlier this year, with the purchase price undisclosed. The Melbourne Cup, first run in 1861, carried A$10.2 million in prize money for this year's edition.

The winner had secured his place through the Geelong Cup on October 21. The Victoria Racing Club's account of that race confirmed that Brown rode Point Of Law to victory over Small Fry and Omni Man, both trained by Joseph O'Brien. Success in the Group 3 contest over 2,400 metres earned the ninth Golden Ticket into the 3,200-metre Melbourne Cup.

That Geelong result also moved Point Of Law into favouritism for Flemington, the club reported. The route has produced previous Melbourne Cup winners including Media Puzzle, Dunaden and Americain. Tuesday's result added another winner to that pathway, while ABC reported a separate distinction for Maher: no trainer had previously filled all three leading places in the race's 166 editions.