The Bart Cummings 2026 Betting Odds & Race Preview

The latest edition of The Bart Cummings ran on Saturday, October 3, 2026 with a Melbourne Cup ballot exemption going to the eye-catching Ciaron Maher-trained winner Mr Monaco ($8). Mr Monaco now holds a quote in the Melbourne Cup market for Flemington on 3 November.

The Bart Cummings 2026 is one of the most important races for punters tracking the road to the Melbourne Cup, with the Flemington staying feature offering far more than just Group 3 prizemoney. Run over a testing 2500m, the race is renowned for attracting genuine Cup hopefuls, imported stayers, and progressive local gallopers all chasing a coveted ballot exemption into Australia’s greatest race. For those following the latest The Bart Cummings odds 2026 and The Bart Cummings betting 2026 markets, the event provides an invaluable guide to the spring staying ranks and often uncovers horses capable of making an impact later in the carnival. With trainers carefully targeting the race as a launching pad to bigger riches, The Bart Cummings is a must-watch contest for punters looking to identify emerging Melbourne Cup contenders. Stay up to date with the latest The Bart Cummings 2026 odds, betting moves, field updates, form analysis, and expert tips right here at Ladbrokes.

2026 The Bart Cummings Results

The official The Bart Cummings 2026 results & finishing order will be updated below once the race is run and won on Saturday, October 3, 2026.

The 2026 The Bart Cummings results saw Mr Monaco ($8) secure his place in the Melbourne Cup field with a strong victory in the Group 3 staying feature over 2520m at Flemington. Trained by Ciaron Maher and ridden by emerging hoop Jabez Johnstone, the imported son of Territories relished the rain-affected conditions to defeat race favourite Litzdeel by 1¼ lengths, with Valiant King finishing third. Mr Monaco settled prominently before proving too strong in the run home, earning the coveted ballot exemption into the 2026 Melbourne Cup and continuing Maher’s outstanding spring carnival success. The win marked a career highlight for Johnstone and revived the stayer’s spring campaign, establishing Mr Monaco as a genuine Cups contender with proven staying ability, wet-track form, and a guaranteed start in Australia’s richest and most prestigious race.

2026 The Bart Cummings Race Replay

2026 The Bart Cummings Odds & Finishing Order

The season’s top The Bart Cummings 2026 odds and Flemington betting markets will be provided below the week of the race so stay tuned for the best Group 3 racing offers this Turnbull Stakes Day followed by the official finishing order after the event.

The Bart Cummings Tips

Top The Bart Cummings tips to consider include looking for runners with proven ability at the famous Flemington Racecourse, past Group winners the Melbourne way of racing and the standout turf stars in the field.

Ladbrokes Tip: The Bart Cummings race serves as a potential lead-up into that year’s Melbourne Cup field

2026 The Bart Cummings Predictions & Best Bets

Our Ladbrokes’ insider The Bart Cummings 2026 betting tips and Flemington racing selections will be detailed below the week of the race so bookmark this page for the stayers to back and sack in the Group 3 this spring.

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Horse Racing

The Bart Cummings Tips & Predictions: Best Bets

1 Oct • Darren Cole

We have The Bart Cummings tips and predictions for the Group 3 2520m race at Flemington on Saturday. The Bart Cummings odds have a big field for punters to bet into, and there is good value available. Ciaron Maher lines up Juja Kibo, who is nearing a win after two good runs this preparation. He ran second at Randwick last start behind a talented import, and that should be a good form guide for The Bart Cummings. He is a four-time winner from 18 starts, and although rising from 2000m to 2520m is a stretch, punters shouldn’t forget that he…

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The Bart Cummings is a Group 3 staying race held at Flemington Racecourse on Turnbull Stakes Day in either late September or early October as a potential lead-up into the Spring Cup races.

Heading the day’s racing is the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) for runners looking at backing-up in the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) later in the month.

Other features on the Turnbull Stakes Day card include the Group 2 Gilgai Stakes (1200m) for potential Champions Sprint runners, the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1100m) for Coolmore Stud Stakes-bound 3YOs, the Group 2 Group 2 Edward Manifold Stakes (1600m) for VRC Oaks hopefuls and the Group 2 Rose Of Kingston Stakes (1400m) for mares eyeing a run in the Empire Rose Stakes.

Contested over 2500m and currently offering $350,000 in prize money, the handicap showdown has served as a decent guide over the years to the coveted Group 1 Melbourne Cup (3200m) held back at HQ on the first Tuesday of November.

The Bart Cummings winner is exempt from Melbourne Cup ballot and Almandin (2016) was the last horse to complete the double.

First run in 2000, the inaugural The Bart Cummings (run as the Listed Japan Trophy over 2550m) was the popular grey galloper Brew who went on to take out that year’s Melbourne Cup.

The race was formerly known as the Banjo Paterson Handicap before being renamed in 2004 to honour legendary trainer Bart Cummings who would prepare 12 Melbourne Cup winners over his career.

The Melbourne Cup on the first Tuesday of November is calling for the back in form Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott-trained import, Just Fine ($21), who posted his first win since last year’s The Metropolitan to narrowly hold on in a stylish front running performance in The Bart Cummings 2024 results at Flemington on Turnbull Stakes Day.

The Bart Cummings Race Info

• Date: Saturday, October 3, 2026
• Track: Flemington Racecourse
• Distance: 2500m
• Conditions: Handicap
• Status: Group 3
• Prize Money: $350,000
• First Run: 2000

The Bart Cummings Betting 

The Bart Cummings odds are led by the season’s in-form stayers coming off nice earlier runs, graduates from Group lead-ups in Melbourne and runners proven over at least a mile and a half.

A nice potential lead-up is the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m), so looking as that race as a guide to The Bart Cummings betting markets is a key tip.

Recently in 2020 Steel Prince ran third in both the Naturalism and The Bart Cummings before winning the Group 3 Geelong Cup (2400m). In 2021 the Naturalism Stakes also produced The Bart Cummings winner with Grand Promenade improving on a lead-up 5th, while in 2022 Lunar Flare improved on a sixth in the Naturalism to win that year’s The Bart Cummings.

Just Fine improved on a 10th in the 2024 Naturalism Stakes to win that year’s The Bart Cummings in an upset at $21.

Tralee Rose (2021) meanwhile improved on her The Bart Cummings second to win the Geelong Cup next start.

The 2025 The Bart Cummings runner-up Torranzino also won the Geelong Cup that season before a brave fifth in the Melbourne Cup, while Gilded Water finished third in The Bart Cummings and second in that year’s Geelong Cup quinella.

There was a huge upset in the 2025 The Bart Cummings with Valiant King winning at $61 when beating $71 roughie Torranzino home by nearly three lengths in a very lucrative quinella.

The Bart Cummings Field

The Bart Cummings race field attracts good spring stayers of all age groups with many eyeing a Group 1 run later during the carnival in either the Caulfield Cup or Melbourne Cup.

Following a run in The Bart Cummings field many runners next contest the Group 2 Moonee Valley Cup (2500m). The 2022 The Bart Cummings winner Lunar Flare finished second in the Moonee Valley Cup results at her next start behind Francesco Guardi who improved on a second in The Bart Cummings to turn the tables.

The Bart Cummings nominations close on the Monday before the race runs on the Saturday and the final field and barriers are released by Racing Victoria on the Wednesday.

2026 The Bart Cummings Field

The official The Bart Cummings 2026 field and barrier draw is set for release on the Wednesday of race week and will be published below so stay tuned to see what stayers making the starting line-up for the battle for the Melbourne Cup ballot exemption.

The Bart Cummings 2026 final field features a cracking line-up of potential Melbourne Cup-bound stayers led in betting by the Chris Waller-trained topweight Wootton Verni coming off a close fifth in the Naturalism Stakes.

2026 The Bart Cummings Nominations

The official The Bart Cummings 2026 nominations are taken the Monday of Turnbull Stakes week.

The Bart Cummings Form Guide

The Bart Cummings form guide features crucial facts and race stats including the jockeys and trainers of the horses in the field as well as their records over the track / distance.

The Bart Cummings race form has gone on to stack-up in tougher races plenty of times in recent years including both the 2019 and 2020 winners Surprise Baby and Persan respectively going on to run fifth in the Melbourne Cup results.

2026 The Bart Cummings Form Guide

A link to our comprehensive The Bart Cummings 2026 Form Guide will be provided for punters below the week of the race.

Past The Bart Cummings Results

The Bart Cummings race results have been dominated by quality stayers including Brew (2000), two-time champion Light Vision (2008-09), Mourayan (2011), Almandin (2016), and Avilius (2018).

Lunar Flare (2022) was the last The Bart Cummings winning mare.

Light Vision (2008 & 2009) is the sole multiple The Bart Cummings winner to date.

Avilius holds the current The Bart Cummings race record winning in 2001 in a time of 2 minutes 35:43 seconds.

Recent The Bart Cummings Winners

Recent The Bart Cummings winners and placegetters dating back to the year 2006 are detailed in the below table.