Adelaide Cup

Ladbrokes Tip: Horses with strong staying form in Melbourne often perform at good Adelaide Cup odds

The latest edition of the Adelaide Cup ran on Monday, March 9, 2026 at Morphettville Racecourse in South Australia and was won in a thrilling upset by the progressive Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained American Wolf ($21).

2026 Adelaide Cup Results

The season’s full Adelaide Cup 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be detailed below once the staying clash is run and won on Monday, March 9, 2026.

The 2026 Adelaide Cup results saw a thrilling photo-finish with the lightly-raced but progressive Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young-trained Tivaci four-year-old, American Wolf ($21), going stride-for-stride with the favourite Highland Bling the closing stages before getting his neck out right on the line to salute in an upset thanks to a patient ride by Jett Stanley. Stanley was thrown from the winning galloper post-race but ran back to scale to the cheers of the crowd.

2026 Adelaide Cup Odds

The latest Adelaide Cup 2026 betting odds will be updated throughout the season with links to our markets to get behind the stayers you best fancy to handle the testing two miles in the Morphettville feature followed by the official Adelaide Cup results after the event.

Adelaide Cup Tips

Adelaide Cup tips often favour local stayers with proven form at the Morphettville track and those with previous 3200m experience.

Interstate visitors have performed well over the past decade however making the raiders a good Adelaide Cup betting tip for value. The last single figure favourite to salute in the Adelaide Cup was Fanatic in 2018.

2026 Adelaide Cup Tips

Our exclusive Ladbrokes’ tips on the Adelaide Cup 2026 will be available below the week of the race so stay tuned for the stayers to back and sack in the Group 2 this autumn.

The Adelaide Cup is one of the traditional Cup races still contested over the two miles (3200m) along with the Sydney Cup in April and the coveted Melbourne Cup held on the first Tuesday of November annually at Flemington Racecourse.

Holding Group 2 status the staying showdown runs at Morphettville Racecourse on the second Monday in March during the Adelaide Autumn Racing Carnival, the Adelaide Cup date set from 2006 before which it ran in May. Adelaide Cup Day is a public holiday for Labour Day in South Australia.

Offering just over $350,000 in prize money the race is run under handicap conditions and is often contested by gallopers comping out of the previous Saturday’s Group 3 Lord Reims Stakes (2600m). Inaugurated in 1864 it was originally a weight-for-age event before running as a handicap from 1869 onwards.

Adelaide Cup Race Info

• Date: Monday, March 9, 2026
• Running: 155th (in 2025)
• Track: Morphettville Racecourse
• Distance: 3200m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 2
• Prize Money: $350,000
• First Run: 1864

Adelaide Cup Betting

Adelaide Cup betting markets are often dominated by horses with previous solid form over 2600m and above and stayers coming off a run in the Lord Reims Stakes at the same track feature prominently. The Lord Reims Stakes / Adelaide Cup double has been completed 18 times to date most recently by Apache King (2001).

Favourites in the Adelaide Cup odds have a poor recent record with upset results scored by Norsqui ($25 in 2013), Tanby ($15 in 2015) and Purple Smile ($31 in 2016) in the past few years. In 2018 however the favourite in Adelaide Cup betting Fanatic got the job done for the punters, as did the short $2.20 top elect King Of Leogrance in 2020.

The outsiders were back in favour in 2021 with $17 winner Good Idea defeating 80/1 roughie Eperdument in an upset.

Daqiansweet Junior ($4.20 in 2022) was the last favourite in Adelaide Cup betting to win.

There was another upset Adelaide Cup result in 2023 with Rebel Racer winning at Adelaide Cup odds of $26, and again in 2026 with American Wolf ($21).

Horses coming off strong Melbourne form have performed well at good prices in Adelaide Cup betting recently too with 2015 winner Tanby coming off a Moonee Valley fifth over 2500m three weeks before and Purple Smile (2016) backing up off a Moonee Valley fifth before his upset Adelaide Cup result.

In 2017 the Adelaide Cup winner Annus Mirabilis improved on a lead-up fifth at Flemington behind Big Memory in the Listed Roy Higgins Quality (2600m), while the next year Fanatic (2018) won the Adelaide Cup after a second in the Roy Higgins. The 2019 Adelaide Cup winner Surprise Baby also came off a lead-up run when fourth in non-Black Type company at Flemington. King Of Leogrance (2020) also franked the autumn form out of Melbourne completing the Roy Higgins – Adelaide Cup staying double.

In 2022 Daqiansweet Junior won the Morphettville feature off a lead-up second in The Valley’s Listed Torney Cup (2500m) in Melbourne.

The 2023 Adelaide Cup winner Rebel Racer came off a nearly four-length Moonee Valley win over 3000m to frank the Melbourne form in South Australia.

In 2024 Excelleration won the Adelaide Cup off a lead-up Tasmania victory in the Group 3 Launceston Cup (2400m).

In 2026, American Wolf scored an upset in the Adelaide Cup results after a lead-up third at Cranbourne over 2600m in a BM74.

Adelaide Cup Field

The Adelaide Cup race field is traditionally made up of both local and interstate stayers that have good form over 2400m and above. Top South Australian trainers often represented in the Adelaide Cup field include Tony McEvoy and Leon Macdonald & Andrew Gluyas.

While run over the same distance as the iconic Melbourne Cup, the Adelaide Cup hasn’t proven a good recent guide to the famous Flemington feature with the last horse to secure the Adelaide Cup – Melbourne Cup double being Subzero (1992). In 2019 the Adelaide Cup winner Surprise Baby ran a massive race in the Melbourne Cup when finishing under a length back for fifth behind that year’s winner Vow And Declare.

Horses coming out of the Adelaide Cup field often head to New South Wales later in the autumn for a shot at the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m), a race the 2013 Adelaide Cup winner Norsqui ran a brave second behind Mourayan to. Gallic (2007) was the last horse to complete the Adelaide Cup – Sydney Cup double.

In 2022 the Adelaide Cup winner Daqiansweet Junior ran third next-up in the Sydney Cup results which also saw the Adelaide Cup third place-getter Future Score run fourth.

2026 Adelaide Cup Field

The official Adelaide Cup 2026 final field and barriers will be published below once announced about a week out from Adelaide Cup Day.

The 2026 Adelaide Cup field features a bumper crop of autumn stayers led in betting by the Phillip Stokes-trained Lord Reims runner-up Highland Bling and the rails-drawn top-weight Berkeley Square giving the weight away to his rivals but coming off a good win at Flemington with more kilos on his back.

Morphettville R7 - Sportsbet Adelaide Cup (G2)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Berkeley Square J: Luke Nolen T: Dan O'sullivan	351031	G	1	59.5kg
	2. Newfoundland J: Tim Clark T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	25x519	G	15	54kg
	3. Eventually J: Teagan Voorham T: Sarah Rutten	411x01	M	14	53kg
	4. Komachi J: Lucy Fiore T: Will Clarken	131218	G	5	53kg
	5. Crimson Vine J: Kayla Crowther T: Sarah Rutten	x37123	M	10	53kg
	6. Highland Bling J: Lachlan Neindorf T: Phillip Stokes	812x52	G	17	53kg
	7. Kirkliston Blu J: Dom Tourneur T: Roslyn Day	124184	G	9	53kg
	8. Dictionary J: Teo Nugent T: John Moloney	955155	G	6	53kg
	9. Hasta La War J: Stacey Metcalfe T: Sue Murphy	9x9789	G	11	53kg
	10. Hurry Curry J: Jamie Melham T: Danny O'brien	604461	M	4	53kg
	11. Samuel Langhorne J: Luke Cartwright T: Michael Kent	337x46	G	18	53kg
	12. Urban Outlook J: Ashley Morgan T: J G Symons & S Laxon	525110	G	16	53kg
	13. American Wolf J: Jett Stanley T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	x73337	G	8	53kg
	14. Sentimental Flame J: Will Price T: Travis Doudle	39x093	M	3	53kg
	15. Alainge J: Sairyn Fawke T: Garret Lynch	308371	M	12	53kg
	16. Zibulon J: Patrick Moloney T: Paul Preusker	6921x3	G	2	53kg
	17. Sabre Athena J: Kate Walters T: Mark Greig	831x09	M	7	53kg
	18. Chance Taken J: Dylan Caboche T: Chris Bieg	0x9586	G	13	53kg

View Results

2026 Adelaide Cup Nominations

Early Adelaide Cup 2026 nominations close on the Tuesday prior to the race.

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	3572308371	ALAINGE	M	5	Garret Lynch	63
2	8x40x73337	AMERICAN WOLF (NZ)	G	4	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	72
3	4664351031	BERKELEY SQUARE	G	6	Dan O’Sullivan	107
4	1322223×26	BLUESTONE (NZ)	G	5	Michael Kent	72
5	53050×9586	CHANCE TAKEN (NZ)	G	5	Chris Bieg	54
6	70x0x37123	CRIMSON VINE (NZ)	M	6	Sarah Rutten	82
7	10×5955155	DICTIONARY	G	6	John Moloney	77
8	x3580x0315	EL JAMES (NZ)	G	5	Symon Wilde	72
9	x079411x01	EVENTUALLY	M	7	Sarah Rutten	90
10	x515491360	FULL OF COURAGE (NZ)	G	4	Chris Bieg	66
11	246×700462	GARACHICO (GB)	G	7	Dominic Sutton	90
12	08009×9789	HASTA LA WAR	G	10	Sue Murphy	76
13	0x0x812x52	HIGHLAND BLING (IRE)	G	5	Phillip Stokes	79
14	50×3604461	HURRY CURRY (NZ)	M	4	Danny O’Brien	76
15	5344124184	KIRKLISTON BLU	G	5	Roslyn Day	79
16	1463131218	KOMACHI (IRE)	G	8	Will Clarken	88
17	242325×519	NEWFOUNDLAND (IRE)	G	7	Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott	96
18	1542×46216	NO RUMOURS	G	5	Paul Preusker	63
19	320411×477	PARADISE STORM (FR)	G	5	Henry Dwyer	82
20	8075831×09	SABRE ATHENA	M	7	Mark Greig	61
21	x746337x46	SAMUEL LANGHORNE (NZ)	G	6	Michael Kent	76
22	567539×093	SENTIMENTAL FLAME	M	5	Travis Doudle	68
23	04342219×5	SUFFOLK STAR (GB)	G	6	Paul Preusker	64
24	0466525110	URBAN OUTLOOK (GB)	G	6	John Symons & Sheila Laxon	73
25	546x6921x3	ZIBULON (FR)	G	6	Paul Preusker	63

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Adelaide Cup Form Guide

The Adelaide Cup form guide is a punters’ best friend when it comes to tipping the right horses in the field of stayers in South Australia.

Along with the saddlecloth numbers, starting barriers, jockeys, trainers and weights for each horse in the Adelaide Cup field the form guide also shows the runners with the best form at the track and over the distance.

2026 Adelaide Cup Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive Adelaide Cup 2026 Form Guide will be available for punters below the week leading-up to the race.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 ADELAIDE CUP FORM GUIDE

Past Adelaide Cup Results

The Adelaide Cup race results and finishing order are known on the second Monday in March, Adelaide Cup Day a public holiday in Adelaide. Along with the Adelaide Cup winner the results also reveal the winning quinella, trifecta, first four as well as the margins between each horse over the line.

The last back-to-back Adelaide Cup winner was Our Pompeii (1993-94), while the Adelaide Cup results from 1987-89 were dominated by triple winner Lord Reims who the traditional lead-up race is now named after.

Silent Surrente (2025) was the last Adelaide Cup winning mare.

The Hind (1998) was the last three-year-old Adelaide Cup winner.

Recent Adelaide Cup Winners

Past Adelaide Cup winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.

Year	Winner	Runner-Up	Third	Time
2026	American Wolf	Highland Bling	Hurry Curry	3:23.45
2025	Silent Surrente	Newfoundland	Grand Pierro	3:22.76
2024	Excelleration	The Map	Skelm	3:23.49
2023	Rebel Racer	Aurora’s Symphony	Amade	3:23.85
2022	Daqiansweet Junior	Tigertiger	Future Score	3:28.80
2021	Good Idea	Eperdument	Long Arm	3:22.00
2020	King Of Leogrance	Good Idea	Chouxting The Mob	3:24.76
2019	Surprise Baby	Top Of The Range	Naval Warfare	3:25.94
2018	Fanatic	Ormito	Poppiholla	3:25.28
2017	Annus Mirabilis	Double Bluff	Master Of Arts	3:24.25
2016	Purple Smile	Tunes	Real Love	3:24.19
2015	Tanby	Taiyoo	Renew	3:25.5
2014	Outback Joe	Black Tycoon	Base	3:22.0
2013	Norsqui	Waratone	Dame Claire	3:24.4
2012	Rialya	Drunken Sailor	Norsqui	3:23.3
2011	Muir	Saddler’s Story	Macedonian	3:23.4
2010	Capecover	Kerdem	Itstheone	3:28.8
2009	Zavite	Kerdem	Banana Man	3:22.7
2008	Lacey Underall	Cefalu	Tails Of Triomphe	3:22.0
2007	Gallic	Lacey Underall	Exalted Time	3:20.9
2006	Exalted Time	Tubular Bells	Ista Kareem	3:25.1
2005	Demerger	Envoy	Intriguing	3:21.9
2004	Pantani	Danestorm	Bel Air	3:27.5
2003	Pilage N Plunder	Nautilism	Odysseus	3:28.4
2002	The A Train	Homewrecker	Silver Baron	3:29.3
2001	Apache King	Native Jazz	Bel Air	3:29.7
2000	Bohemiath	Karasi	Oxford Dollar	3:24.6

FAQ

Who won the 2026 Adelaide Cup?

The 2026 Adelaide Cup was won by four-year-old Tivaci gelding American Wolf in an upset at $21 for trainers Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young with jockey Jett Stanley aboard on 53kg from barrier 8 to win by 0.06 lengths in a photo thriller over the beaten favourite Highland Bing on a Good (4) track in a time of 3:23.45.

Who won the 2025 Adelaide Cup?

The 2025 Adelaide Cup was won by Silent Surrente at $10 for trainers Will Clarken & Niki O’Shea with apprentice jockey Ms. Rochelle Milnes aboard from barrier 11 on 53.5kg to win by 1.2 lengths in a time of 3:22.76.

When is the Adelaide Cup 2026?

Monday, March 9, 2026

What is the prize money for the Adelaide Cup 2026?

$350,000

Where is the Adelaide Cup 2026?

Morphettville Racecourse, 79 Morphett Road. Morphettville SA 5043.

How do I bet on the 2026 Adelaide Cup?

Bet online or via the latest iOS/Android apps with Ladbrokes.
The first step is to create an account at ladbrokes.com.au. The process is quick and easy!
Once you've created your account you can make a deposit via credit card, or any other of our secure payment methods. Next up, head to the racing page and find the race and runner that's right for you.

Which horse will win the 2026 Adelaide Cup?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Adelaide Cup is to take into account the form, assess the barriers, and consider the weight the horse will carry (among other factors). Check out ladbrokes.com.au in the lead up to the race for full form information.