Melbourne Cup 2026: race time, where to watch, and $10m prize breakdown
The 2026 Melbourne Cup runs at 3pm AEDT on Tuesday November 4 with a $10 million total prize pool and free-to-air broadcast.
The Melbourne Cup takes place at 3pm AEDT on Tuesday, November 4 at Flemington Racecourse. Watch free on racing channels 78 (metro) or 68 (regional), or stream on Racing.com.
The winner receives $4.5 million plus an 18-carat gold trophy worth around $250,000. The trainer gets 10% of the prize ($450,000) and the jockey claims 5% ($225,000).
Runner-up earns $1.1 million, third place $560,000. The total prize pool is more than $10 million.
The race is 3200 metres.
- $10 million
- Total prize pool
- $4.5 million
- Winner's cash
- $250,000
- Trophy value
- 3200 metres
- Race distance
Why it mattersAustralia's most famous horse race is a public event anyone can watch free, with significant prize money on offer.
AustraliaAustralians can watch the Melbourne Cup live and free on Tuesday afternoon, a major national sporting event.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 1 h ago
