The next edition of the Grafton Cup runs on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 ahead of the upcoming Spring Carnival Cup races.
The Grafton Cup is one of the standout staying features of the Grafton July Racing Carnival, and Ladbrokes punters chasing Grafton Cup tips, betting odds, form analysis, and key contenders are in for another cracking edition. Run over 2350m, the Cup consistently attracts seasoned stayers, in‑form winter campaigners and country‑cup specialists capable of producing a peak performance at the right time. With tempo, barriers and race fitness playing a massive role in this high‑pressure staying test, the Grafton Cup is a favourite for value‑hunters looking to spot overs, map advantages and runners ready to outstay the field. Below, we break down the latest Grafton Cup betting markets, form guide insights, and expert predictions to give Ladbrokes customers the strongest edge heading into one of the Carnival’s most bet‑on races.
2026 Grafton Cup Odds
The latest Grafton Cup 2026 betting odds will be provided below as soon as markets on the end-of-winter carnival event on Grafton Cup Day over the winter are announced.
| 11. King Pedro (9) J: Kerrin Mcevoy 54.5kg x7221T: Tom Charlton | ||
| 3. Etna Rosso (8) J: Kyle Wilson-Taylor 56kg 40663T: Chris Waller | ||
| 4. Kaluakoi (6) J: Tahlia Fenlon 55kg 41616T: Chris & Corey Munce | ||
| 5. So You Are (2) J: Ben Looker 55kg 17432T: Stirling Osland | ||
| 6. Caboche (7) J: Alysha Collett 54.5kg 80543T: Chris Waller | ||
| 9. Prince Levi (11) J: Mark Du Plessis 54.5kg 59745T: William Kropp | ||
| 8. Les Vampires (1) J: Anna Roper 54.5kg 50803T: Lucy Longmire | ||
| 2. Pounding (5) J: Luke Nolen 58kg 24222T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman | ||
| 1. Encoder (4) J: Boris Thornton 58kg 01642T: Michael Freedman | ||
| 10. Zibulon (10) J: Robbie Dolan 54.5kg 88225T: Paul Preusker | ||
| 14. Valentine John (3) J: Karl Zechner 54.5kg 0x002T: Anthony Warren |
Grafton Cup Tips
Grafton Cup tips include looking for in-form winter stayers coming off a win in a Sydney lead-up race, graduates that finished in the money in their lead-up assignment and tipping single-figure fancies.
Ladbrokes Tip: Grafton Cup odds are often led by Gai Waterhouse trained runners as she has an excellent record in the event!
2026 Grafton Cup Tips
Our Ladbrokes’ exclusive Grafton Cup 2026 betting tips on the Listed race during the winter racing season will be detailed below the week of the race so, stay tuned for those to back and sack this season.
| 11. King Pedro (9) J: Kerrin Mcevoy 54.5kg x7221T: Tom Charlton |
| 2. Pounding (5) J: Luke Nolen 58kg 24222T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman |
| 3. Etna Rosso (8) J: Kyle Wilson-Taylor 56kg 40663T: Chris Waller |
The Grafton Cup is held at the tail-end of the New South Winter Racing Carnival the Thursday after Melbourne’s Sir John Monash Stakes Day and takes place at Grafton Racecourse as one of two Black-Type features run by the Clarence River Jockey Club.
The mid-week Listed event is the feature race on Grafton Cup Day, which is the second meeting of the two-day Grafton Cup Carnival that begins on the Wednesday with Ramornie Handicap Day.
A quality handicap race contested over 2350m, the Grafton Cup offers $200,000 in prize money and a ballot exemption into that year’s Newcastle Gold Cup.
The Grafton Cup attracts a strong line-up of winter stayers each year and there are a host of lead-up races that offer a ballot exemption into the field including Rosehill’s W J McKell Cup, Queensland’s Ipswich Cup held the Saturday prior, the Winter Cup at Rosehill, the Caloundra Cup, the Grafton Cup Prelude and the South Grafton Cup.
In 2023 Zoumon completed the WJ McKell Cup – Caloundra Cup – Grafton Cup treble.
Purrfect Deal (2021) became the first horse since Rednav (2016) to do the local Grafton Cup Prelude – Grafton Cup double, while Supply And Demand (2017) took out the Caloundra Cup – Grafton Cup interstate double.
Horses that perform well in the winter’s Grafton Cup results often contest the Listed Wyong Gold Cup (2100m) in September over the spring.
Grafton Cup Race Info
- Date: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
- Track: Grafton Racecourse
- Distance: 2350m
- Conditions: Quality Handicap
- Status: Listed
- Prize Money: $200,000
- First Run: 1910
2026 Grafton Cup Results
The official Grafton Cup 2026 Results & Finishing Order will be available below once the Listed Grafton race is run and won on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
- #11 King Pedro
- #3 Etna Rosso
- #4 Kaluakoi
Grafton Cup Betting
The Grafton Cup betting markets are dominated by in-form stayers coming off good lead-up runs in events during the lead-up winter races in both Sydney and Brisbane especially Rosehill’s Listed WJ McKell Cup (2000m) that last produced a winner in Sixties Groove (2nd in 2020) and Zoumon who did the double in 2023.
There are usually short Grafton Cup odds offered on any quality Gai Waterhouse-trained horses with the trainer boasting five victories in the race since 2006 most recently with Zoumon (2023).
The Kris Lees-trained Sixties Groove ($3.50 in 2020) saluted for the punters when setting a modern-day weight carrying record in the race with 61kg, and the favourites went back-to-back in 2021 with the narrow win by Purrfect Deal ($3.40).
Zoumon ($2.50 in 2023), Deny Knowledge ($2.45 in 2024) and Don Diego De Vega ($4.60EF in 2025) are the latest Grafton Cup favourites to win.
2026 Grafton Cup Big Bets Tracker
Follow the big money Grafton Cup bets ahead of this year’s clash right here!
Grafton Cup Field
The Grafton Cup race field draws a quality line-up of winter stayers from both local and interstate stables.
Runners may come via a number of different lead-up races including the Winter Cup at Rosehill or Queensland’s Ipswich Cup held the Saturday prior.
The Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) is another key lead-up and Arapaho (2nd in 2022), Zoumon (1st of 2023) and Don Diego De Vega (4th in 2025) are the latest Grafton Cup winners to come via that Queensland lead-up.
Grafton Cup nominations close the Thursday before race week with final acceptances revealing the field released on the Monday before the race runs on the Wednesday.
2026 Grafton Cup Field
The official Grafton Cup 2026 field of final acceptors is announced by the Clarence River Jockey Club on the Monday of race week and will be published below along with the confirmed jockeys and barriers.
The 2026 Grafton Cup field features a quality line-up of long-distance specialists looking to secure some winter Black-Type with markets firmly led by King Pedro who comes off a three-length demolition job in the Stayers Cup.
| Entrant | Last 6 | Sex | Barrier | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1. Encoder
J: Boris Thornton
T: Michael Freedman |
201642 | G | 4 | 58kg | |
|
2. Pounding
J: Luke Nolen
T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman |
724222 | G | 5 | 58kg | |
|
3. Etna Rosso
J: Kyle Wilson-Taylor
T: Chris Waller |
040663 | G | 8 | 56kg | |
|
4. Kaluakoi
J: Tahlia Fenlon
T: Chris & Corey Munce |
141616 | G | 6 | 55kg | |
|
5. So You Are
J: Ben Looker
T: Stirling Osland |
317432 | G | 2 | 55kg | |
|
6. Caboche
J: Alysha Collett
T: Chris Waller |
x80543 | G | 7 | 54.5kg | |
| 7. Black Run (14) Scratched: | |||||
|
8. Les Vampires
J: Anna Roper
T: Lucy Longmire |
050803 | G | 1 | 54.5kg | |
|
9. Prince Levi
J: Mark Du Plessis
T: William Kropp |
259745 | G | 11 | 54.5kg | |
|
10. Zibulon
J: Robbie Dolan
T: Paul Preusker |
688225 | G | 10 | 54.5kg | |
|
11. King Pedro
J: Kerrin Mcevoy
T: Tom Charlton |
2x7221 | G | 9 | 54.5kg | |
| 12. Firm Agreement (13) Scratched: | |||||
| 13. Sounds Unusual (5) Scratched: | |||||
|
14. Valentine John
J: Karl Zechner
T: Anthony Warren |
10x002 | G | 3 | 54.5kg | |
2026 Grafton Cup Nominations
Early Grafton Cup 2026 Nominations close the Thursday leading up to Grafton Cup Day, which is one of two feature meetings during the Grafton Cup Carnival and will be provided in full below.
The 2026 Grafton Cup nominations attracted 24 smart winter stayers led in all-in betting by Tom Charlton’s dominant last start Stayers Cup winner at Rosehill King Pedro.
Grafton Cup Form Guide
The Grafton Cup form guide lists for punters all the crucial pre-betting information like the jockeys, trainers, barriers and lead-up runs of the female sprinters in the field.
Runners trained out of Sydney stables have a strong recent record the race, so looking at the local gallopers instead of the visiting runners with a lead-up run at Rosehill is essential when doing the Grafton Cup form.
Horses aged between four and seven years old dominate the Grafton Cup form and results over the past decade with the last three-year-old winner being Stormhill (2005).
The Grafton Cup form has held up in tougher races and is worth following into the bigger spring races in Sydney and Melbourne later in the year.
The 2022 Grafton Cup winner Arapaho franked the form with a host of good subsequent Group race performances including his 2023 Group 1 Tancred Stakes (2400m) win at Rosehill the following autumn.
In 2023, Grafton Cup winner Zoumon returned in the spring and finished second in Sydney’s $2 million The Five Diamonds. The Grafton Cup form was further franked that year with the third placed Grafton Cup Spirit Ridge finishing in the money in many other top staying races that season including the Group 1 The Metropolitan.
The 2024 Grafton Cup winner, Deny Knowledge, franked the form going on to win the Group 1 Might And Power (2000m) at Caulfield that spring.
2026 Grafton Cup Form
A link to our comprehensive Grafton Cup 2026 form guide and race betting preview will be provided for punters below the week of the event.
COMPLETE 2026 GRAFTON CUP FORM GUIDE & RACE COMMENTARY
Past Grafton Cup Results
The Grafton Cup race results show a quality list of past winners, many of which went on to win much bigger and better races including subsequent Melbourne Cup champion Kensei (1987).
Sydney-based stables have the dominant hand in the past Grafton Cup results with Gai Waterhouse holding the modern-day training record with five recent victories since with Rocking On (2006), Queenstown (2014), Bonfire (2015), Supply And Demand (2017), and most recently Zoumon (2023).
Purrfect Deal (2021) was the last Grafton Cup winning mare.
Stormhill (2005) was the last three-year-old Grafton Cup winner.
Bonfire holds the current 2350m Grafton Cup race record winning in 2001 in a time of 2 minutes 22:59 seconds.
Recent Grafton Cup Winners
History shows there has been five multiple Grafton Cup winners with Longwy (1919-20), three-time champion Hosier (1922-1924), Home James (1963-64), Jardel (1974-75), and most recently Oppressor (1994-95).
Recent Grafton Cup winners dating back to the year 2000 are detailed in the below table.
| Year | Winner | Trainer/s | Jockey | Weight | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD | TBD |
| 2025 | Don Diego De Vega | Annabel & Rob Archibald | Zac Lloyd | 54 kgs | 2:28.59 |
| 2024 | Deny Knowledge | Anthony & Sam Freedman | Blake Shinn | 56.5 kgs | 2:23.40 |
| 2023 | Zoumon | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Rachel King | 58.5 kgs | 2:25.66 |
| 2022 | Arapaho | Bjorn Baker | Rachel King | 54 kgs | 2:25.89 |
| 2021 | Purrfect Deal | Michael Costa | Ben Thompson | 54 kgs | 2:24.44 |
| 2020 | Sixties Groove | Kris Lees | Jason Collett | 61 kgs | 2:25.98 |
| 2019 | Sacred Day | Tony Pike | Ben Looker | 55.5 kgs | 2:23.88 |
| 2018 | First Crush | Chris Munce | Mark Du Plessis | 55.5 kgs | 2:23.88 |
| 2017 | Supply And Demand | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | Joshua Parr | 58.5 kgs | 2:23.33 |
| 2016 | Rednav | Sally Taylor | Peter Graham | 54 kgs | 2:24.44 |
| 2015 | Bonfire | Gai Waterhouse | Blake Shinn | 59 kgs | 2:22.59 |
| 2014 | Queenstown | Gai Waterhouse | Tim Clark | 54 kgs | 2:24.10 |
| 2013 | Mr O’ceirin | Ciaron Maher | Blake Shinn | 56 kgs | 2:26.16 |
| 2012 | Shamardashing | John Thompson | Jeff Lloyd | 57.5 kgs | 2:25.30 |
| 2011 | Warrior Within | Bruce Hill | Paul Hammersley | 53 kgs | 2:23.56 |
| 2010 | Twin Wing | Guy Walter | Jay Ford | 57.5 kgs | 2:23.98 |
| 2009 | Castle Heights | Donna Logan | Stathi Katsidis | 53 kgs | 2:24.98 |
| 2008 | Art Success | John Collins | Jeff Lloyd | 58 kgs | 2:22.92 |
| 2007 | Ashraf | Stuart Phegan | Dale Spriggs | 53 kgs | 2:22.91 |
| 2006 | Rocking On | Gai Waterhouse | James Innes | 53 kgs | 2:26.41 |
| 2005 | Stormhill | Tim Martin | Chris Munce | 52 kgs | 2:25.50 |
| 2004 | Pacific Dancer | Shaun Dwyer | Michael Rodd | 53.5 kgs | 2:26.48 |
| 2003 | Belus | Robert Smerdon | Mark Zahra | 54 kgs | 2:27.20 |
| 2002 | Master Pom | Stephen Quintano | Nathan Cumberland | 53 kgs | 2:26.86 |
| 2001 | Desk Top Lover | Bill Mitchell | Michael Cahill | 53 kgs | 2:27.78 |
| 2000 | Simigan | Brian Smith | Allan Robinson | 52.5 kgs | 2:26.21 |
FAQs
How do I bet on the 2026 Grafton 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 Grafton Cup?
The best way to pick which horse will win the Grafton 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.
When is the Grafton Cup 2026?
The 2026 Grafton Cup will be run on Wednesday, 15 July 2026, as part of the Grafton July Racing Carnival’s feature sprint program at Clarence River Jockey Club.
What is the prize money for the Grafton Cup 2026?
The 2026 Grafton Cup prize money is set at $200,000 which is paid from 1st to 10th place including $109,000 going to the Grafton Cup winner.
Where is the Grafton Cup 2026?
The Grafton Cup runs at Grafton Racecourse, which is located at 273 Powell St, Grafton NSW 2460.
What distance is the Grafton Cup run over?
The Grafton Cup is run over 2350 metres, a genuine staying trip that rewards horses with proven stamina, strong winter fitness and the ability to handle a tactical tempo at the Clarence River Jockey Club.
How many horses run in the Grafton Cup?
The Grafton Cup has a field limit size of 16 runners plus 4 emergencies which can gain a start if one of the original 16 final acceptors is scratched.
Who won the 2025 Grafton Cup?
The 2025 Grafton Cup was won by five-year-old Lope De Vega gelding Don Diego De Vega at $4.60 equal favouritism for trainers Annabel & Rob Archibald with jockey Zac Lloyd aboard on 54kg from barrier 5 to win by 0.72 lengths in a time of 2:28.59.