Grafton Cup

Looking for this year’s Grafton Cup betting odds, field and race tips? The experts at Neds have put together everything you need to know before this year’s race.

Grafton Cup 2026 Results

The official 2026 Grafton Cup results will be available below once the race takes place on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. 

Tom Charlton’s progressive four-year-old stayer, King Pedro ($2.30F), stood up when it mattered in Thursday’s 2026 Grafton Cup results, overcoming a walking tempo and a track that hadn’t been helping backmarkers to charge home and land the Listed feature in strong style. With the pace muddling early and the race looking all wrong for a swooper, jockey Kerrin McEvoy never panicked, eased the emphatic last start Stayers Cup winner into clear air, and produced a trademark late surge to reel in Etna Rosso and the brave frontrunner Kaluakoi. It was McEvoy’s first Grafton Cup and a win that has trainer Charlton thinking spring targets, with the Group 1 The Metropolitan now firmly in the conversation after King Pedro proved he can absorb a tricky set‑up and still put them away when the pressure goes on.

2026 Grafton Cup Odds & Finishing Order

The 2026 Grafton Cup odds are shaping up to be one of the most closely watched betting markets of the Grafton July Racing Carnival, with Neds punters already tracking early favourites, market movers and potential value stayers for the 2350m feature. As a Listed staying test that regularly attracts seasoned campaigners and in‑form winter runners, the Grafton Cup market tends to shift quickly once barriers, tempo projections and track conditions become clearer. Early odds often highlight a mix of proven country‑cup performers and emerging stayers capable of peaking deep into their prep, giving punters plenty of opportunities to spot overs and identify runners suited to the long Grafton straight. For Neds customers chasing Grafton Cup odds, betting tips, favourites, and roughie chances, the 2026 edition promises another competitive staying contest where reading the market early can deliver a genuine edge.

The latest Grafton Cup 2026 odds followed by the official race finishing order after the event will be available below.

Grafton Cup Tips 2026

Our exclusive 2026 Grafton Cup tips will be detailed here the week of the race and a full betting preview available on the Neds Blog.

2026 GRAFTON CUP DAY BEST BETS

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Racing Tips

Grafton Cup Day Best Bets – Thursday, July 16 

15 Jul • Craig Sheppard

The Grafton Cup takes centre stage as the July Racing Carnival rolls on, and we’ve done the form to find our best Grafton Cup Day bets. Race 3 – VILLAGE GREEN HOTEL BENCHMARK 66 SHOWCASE HANDICAP (1000 METRES) No. 5 Dance Gavin Dance DANCE GAVIN DANCE (5) impressed last start at Casino when settling back and looking to be in a world of hurt behind the pack before finding an out and storming home to win by just under a length.  That took the Owen Glue-trained gelding’s record to three wins and two thirds from five starts over the distance.  While he seems to thrive on…

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Run over 2,350 metres, the Grafton Cup is a time-honoured Listed race taking place at Grafton Racecourse since 1910.

With a $200,000 prize purse, it is one of the key features on the Winter Cups circuit and the pride of the Clarence River Jockey Club. The race briefly held Group 3 status from 1995 – 2005, but after a decade it was demoted back to a Listed event. 

Held on a Thursday in early to mid-July the Grafton Cup is also one of two Black-Type races held over the two-day Grafton Cup Carnival that gets underway on the Wednesday with racing headlined by the Listed Ramornie Handicap (1200m).

Winning this race makes horses exempt from the ballot in the Group 3 Newcastle Gold Cup held in September. 

Many very good horses have come out of the Grafton Cup throughout the race’s history including subsequent Melbourne Cup hero Kensei (1987).

There are a host of lead-up races offering a ballot exemption into the Grafton Cup field including Queensland’s Caloundra Cup and Zoumon (2023) was the last galloper to do the interstate Caloundra – Grafton Cups double.

The 2024 Grafton Cup was won by subsequent Group 1 Might And Power champion Deny Knowledge.

Grafton Cup 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Wednesday, July 15, 2026
• Track Location: Grafton Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Right-handed
• Race Distance: 2,350 metres
• Weight Conditions: Quality handicap
• Qualification: Three-year-olds and over
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Listed
• Operator: Clarence River Jockey Club
• Prize Purse: $200,000
• 2026 Grafton Cup Winner: King Pedro

Grafton Cup Betting 2026

There are many different ways to bet on the Grafton Cup, and we have included some of the most popular options below:

How To Bet on the Grafton Cup in 2026

1. Login at neds.com.au
2. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
3. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Grafton Cup Betting above).
4. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Grafton Cup in 2026

The best way to pick which horse will win the Grafton Cup in 2026 is to take into account their lead-up winter racing form, assess the barriers and look at the weights. 

Additional factors to consider when picking the Grafton Cup winner include: 

• Proven Stayers – Look for stayers that have a proven ability over a mile and a half. 
• Handicap Helper – Look for any horses that get weight relief from the handicap. 
• Waterhouse Factor – Gai Waterhouse holds the modern-day training record in the Grafton Cup with five winners since 2006 with Rocking On, Queenstown, Bonfire, Supply And Demand, and most recently Zoumon in 2023.

Grafton Cup Favourites 2026

Favourites in Grafton Cup 2026 betting include in-form Stayers Cup champion at Rosehill last time out King Pedro, Caloundra Cup runner-up So You Are and Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman’s perennial second placegetter Pounding.

Sixties Groove ($3.50 in 2020), Purrfect Deal ($3.40 in 2021), Zoumon ($2.50 in 2023), Deny Knowledge ($2.45 in 2024), Don Diego De Vega ($4.60EF in 2025) and King Pedro ($2.30 in 2026) are the latest Grafton Cup favourites to salute for the punters.

Grafton Cup Field 2026

The official Grafton Cup 2026 field of final acceptances is released on the Monday of race week and will be published in full below.

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.

Grafton Cup Race Day 2026

2026 Grafton Cup Day takes place on Wednesday, July 15, 2026 as part of the two-day Grafton Cup Carnival. 

Grafton Cup Barrier Draw 2026

The 2026 Grafton Cup barrier draw will be released to the public a few days before the race and published in our above Grafton Cup Field section. 

Grafton Cup Nominations 2026

2026 Grafton Cup nominations close at 11:00 AM on the Thursday prior to the race. 

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 Weights 2026

Quality handicap conditions apply to this race. Minimum weight is 54 kilograms. Maximum weight is 62 kilograms. Final 2026 Grafton Cup weights will be announced by 4:00 PM on the Friday prior to the race. 

In 2020 Sixties Groove set a modern-day weight carrying record in the Grafton Cup carting 61kg to victory.

2026 Grafton Cup Topweights:

• No. 1 Encoder (58kg)
• No. 2 Pounding (58kg)

Grafton Cup Acceptances 2026

2026 Grafton Cup final acceptances must be declared before 9:00 AM on the Monday of race week and published in our above Grafton Cup Field section. 

Grafton Cup Jockeys 2026

The final riders’ announcement is at 12:00 PM on the Monday of race week with the official 2026 Grafton Cup jockeys to be published in our above Grafton Cup Field section.  

Grafton Cup Scratchings 2026

2026 Grafton Cup scratchings close at 7:30 AM on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. 

• No. 7 Black Run (14)
• No. 12 Firm Agreement (13)
• No. 13 Sounds Unusual (5)

Grafton Cup Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Grafton Cup prize purse is worth $200,000 in total, distributed from places first through tenth.

Grafton Cup Race Number 2026

The 2026 Grafton Cup race number is scheduled as Grafton Race 7 at 4:05pm (AEST) on Wednesday, July 15, 2026. There are eight races in total that day at Grafton Racecourse.

Grafton Cup Form Guide 2026

The final form guide will be available the week of the race. You can check below for a link to our full 2026 Grafton Cup Form Guide following final acceptances. 

FULL 2026 GRAFTON CUP FORM GUIDE & PREVIEW

Grafton Cup Live 2026

You can watch or listen to the 2026 Grafton Cup live, across the following mediums.

Pay television: Sky Racing 1 (channel 526 on Foxtel)

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing NSW

Grafton Cup Winners

Winners of the Grafton Cup going back to 2000 are displayed in the table below.

There have been five multiple Grafton Cup winners throughout history with Longwy (1919-20), triple champion Hosier (1922-1924), Home James (1963-64), Jardel (1974-75), and most recently Oppressor (1994-95).