Mornington Cup

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

Mornington Cup 2026 Results

The official 2026 Mornington Cup results will be available below once the race takes place on Saturday, April 18, 2026. 

Ciaron Maher’s progressive Territories five-year-old Kings Valley ($6.50) secured his early ticket into the spring’s Caulfield Cup field with a narrow win in the 2026 Mornington Cup results. In a searching mile-and-half performance, the recent Bairnsdale Cup winner over a mile dug deep coming from sixth at the top of the straight to move up and challenge the front-running Pounding inside the final 100m with the two going stride-for-stride before Kings Secret drew clear to win by 0.2 lengths with Suntora picking up another placing in third. Kings Valley is now at $34 in futures Caulfield Cup betting.

2026 Mornington Cup Odds

Mornington Cup 2026 Tips

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

CLICK HERE FOR OUR COMPLETE 2026 MORNINGTON CUP DAY PREVIEW & TIPS

The Mornington Cup is a Listed staying race run and won at Mornington Racecourse in late April each year, moved from April ahead of the 2023 edition, as part of the wider Melbourne Autumn Racing Carnival.

Now contested over a mile and a half having been increased in distance from 2000m to 2400m in 2008, the Black-Type race is the biggest and most popular event held on the Mornington Peninsular.

Offering a lucrative $300,000 in stakes, it is run under quality handicap conditions with no restrictions to age or gender.

The best out of the race previously headed to Sydney a fortnight later to run over the two miles at Randwick in the Group 1 Sydney Cup (3200m) during The Championships before the Mornington Cup Day date changed in 2023.

The Mornington Cup winner earns a ballot exemption for that spring’s Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m).

Mornington Cup 2026 – Quick Information

• Race Day: Saturday, April 18, 2026
• Track Location: Mornington Racecourse
• Track Surface: Turf
• Track Direction: Left-handed
• Race Distance: 2400m metres
• Weight Conditions: Quality Handicap
• Qualification: No age / sex restrictions
• Type: Thoroughbred
• Grade: Listed
• Operator: Melbourne Racing Club
• Prize Purse: $300,000
• 2026 Mornington Cup Winner: Kings Valley

Mornington Cup Betting 2026

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

Bet Type	How To Place This Type of Bet on This Year’s Mornington Cup
Win Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will take first place in this year’s Mornington Cup.
Place Bet	Place your bet on the horse you think will place in the top three finishers at this year’s Mornington Cup. Pays less than a win bet but offers safer odds.
Each-Way Bet	If your runner finishes 1st in the Mornington Cup, you will collect both the Win and the Place dividend. If your horse finishes 2nd or 3rd you will collect the Place dividend.
Quinella Bet	You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in any order, within the Mornington Cup, in order to win the Quinella.
Exacta Bet	You must select the runners that finish 1st and 2nd in the correct order, within the Mornington Cup to win the Exacta.
Trifecta Bet	You must select runners to finish 1st, 2nd and 3rd in the correct order, within the Mornington Cup to win the Trifecta.
First Four	You must select runners that finish 1st, 2nd ,3rd and 4th in the correct order, within the Mornington Cup to win the First 4.
Quadrella Bet (Quaddie)	You must select the winners of four nominated races to win the Quaddie. This means you would have to select three other races apart from the Mornington Cup, in order to be eligible to place a Quaddie.

How To Bet on the Mornington Cup in 2026

1. Log in at neds.com.au
2. Make a deposit, using your credit card, PayPal or other safe electronic method
3. Make sure to check out form guide, once it’s released
4. Decide what kind of bet you’re going to place (Win, Place, Each-Way, Trifecta + more betting options, please read our section on Mornington Cup Betting above).
5. Select the horse(s) for the race.

Which Horse Will Win the Mornington Cup in 2026?

The best way to pick which horse will win the Mornington Cup is to look at their lead-up autumn racing form, check any previous Black-Type experience and consider their record over the 2400m distance. 

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

• Light Weights – Just four horses since 2009 have carried more than 56.5kg to victory in the Mornington Cup: Capecover (59kg in 2010), Tally (59kg in 2017), Right You Are (58kg in 2023), and Bankers Choice (57kg in 2025).
• Boys’ Club – The last mare to beat home the boys in the Mornington Cup was Voile D’or (2001).

Mornington Cup 2026 Favourites

Favourites in 2026 Mornington Cup betting including the airborne Easter Cup winner Ambassadorial chasing his fourth win on the trot, the in-form Danny O’Brien-trained mare Sea What I See who ran second in that same key lead-up and Ciaron Maher’s first emergency Kings Valley needing a scratching to gain a start.

Mount Popa ($2.30 in 2021) was the last Mornington Cup favourite to win.

Mornington Cup Field 2026

The official Mornington Cup 2026 field of final acceptances is announced on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in full below. 

The 2026 Mornington Cup final field features a capacity line-up of stayers including last start Group 2 Adelaide Cup winner over the two miles American Wolf, Tony & Calvin McEvoy’s flying Group 3 Easter Cup champ Ambassadorial chasing his fourth win on the trot and Nick Ryan’s widely drawn but consistent mare Suntora with form around Treasurethe Moment.

Mornington R8 - Sportsbet Mornington Cup Hcp (L)

Final Race time: 

	Entrant	Last 6	Sex	Barrier	Weight
	1. Bankers Choice J: Jamie Mott T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes	030x38	G	12	60kg
	2. Brayden Star J: Linda Meech T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	489280	G	8	58kg
	3. Zarir J: Jye Mcneil T: Chris Waller	97x078	G	5	58kg
	4. American Wolf J: Jett Stanley T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	733371	G	13	57.5kg
	5. Immediacy J: Thomas Stockdale T: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	0x2673	G	9	57.5kg
	6. Plymouth (17)  Scratched:
	7. Ambassadorial J: Harry Coffey T: Tony & Calvin Mcevoy	x32111	G	7	56.5kg
	8. Basilinna J: Billy Egan T: Emma-Lee & David Browne	1x7x78	M	2	56kg
	9. Jennilala J: Fred W Kersley T: Gavin Bedggood	046482	M	1	55kg
	10. Wymark J: Jake Noonan T: Gavin Bedggood	165311	G	11	55kg
	11. Pounding J: Luke Nolen T: Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	8x7727	G	4	54.5kg
	12. Sea What I See J: Beau Mertens T: Danny O'brien	24x232	M	10	54.5kg
	13. Suntora J: Daniel Stackhouse T: Nick Ryan	231133	M	14	54.5kg
	14. Saganti J: Zac Spain T: Mick Price & Michael Kent Jnr	5x7030	G	3	54kg
	15. Kings Valley J: Lachlan Neindorf T: Ciaron Maher	35x919	G	6	54kg
	16. Stylish Secret (7)  Scratched:
	17. Autumn Mystery (16)  Scratched:
	18. Mr Waterville (15)  Scratched:

View Results

Mornington Cup Race Day 2026

The 2026 Mornington Cup takes place as the headline and sole Group status race on Mornington Cup Day at Mornington Racecourse on Saturday, April 18, 2026.

The other Black-Type race held at the Mornington Cup Day meeting is the Listed $200,000 Hareeba Stakes (1200m).

Mornington Cup 2026 Barrier Draw

The 2026 Mornington Cup barrier draw is announced the Wednesday of race week and will be published in our above Mornington Cup Field section. 

Mornington Cup 2026 Nominations

2026 Mornington Cup nominations close at 12:00 AM (AEST) on the Monday of race week. 

	Last 10	Horse	Sex	Age	Trainer	Hcp Rating
1	x557x32111	AMBASSADORIAL	G	5	Tony & Calvin McEvoy	96
2	x40x733371	AMERICAN WOLF (NZ)	G	4	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	98
3	85947×0050	ARDAKAN (GB)	G	7	Ciaron Maher	81
4	522118×070	AUTUMN MYSTERY	G	3	Rory Hunter	80
5	372x030x38	BANKERS CHOICE (NZ)	G	8	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	103
6	10221x7x78	BASILINNA (NZ)	M	5	Emma-Lee & David Browne	99
7	322223×262	BLUESTONE (NZ)	G	5	Michael Kent	73
8	4510489280	BRAYDEN STAR (GB)	G	7	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	99
9	25474032×9	FERAGO	G	9	Patrick F Ryan Jnr	75
10	x6110x2673	IMMEDIACY (NZ)	G	5	Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young	98
11	8240046482	JENNILALA	M	6	Gavin Bedggood	97
12	0x4235x919	KINGS VALLEY (IRE)	G	5	Ciaron Maher	87
13	846x90x307	MR WATERVILLE (IRE)	G	7	Clayton Douglas	79
14	06120×4420	PLYMOUTH	G	4	Ben, Will & JD Hayes	98
15	25858×7727	POUNDING	G	7	Peter G Moody & Katherine Coleman	92
16	x5x35x7030	SAGANTI (FR)	G	5	Mick Price & Michael Kent (Jnr)	88
17	x91524x232	SEA WHAT I SEE (IRE)	M	6	Danny O’Brien	96
18	1×07531815	STYLISH SECRET (NZ)	G	4	Mick Nolan	85
19	4911231133	SUNTORA	M	4	Nick Ryan	96
20	3x0300x967	TEMPESTI (ITY)	G	7	Matt Cumani	91
21	0904165311	WYMARK (NZ)	G	5	Gavin Bedggood	93
22	5x1453x111	ZAKOUMA	G	5	Grahame Begg	78
23	5x2x97x078	ZARIR (IRE)	G	6	Chris Waller	99

Table Credit: Racing Australia.

Mornington Cup 2026 Weights

Handicap conditions apply to this race. Final weights are announced at 4:00 PM (AEST) on the Monday of race week with the official 2026 Mornington Cup weights to be published in our above Mornington Cup Field section. 

2026 Mornington Cup Topweight:

• No. 1 Bankers Choice (60kg)

Mornington Cup 2026 Acceptances

2026 Mornington Cup final acceptances must be declared before 9:30 AM (AEST) on the Wednesday of race week and will be published in our above Mornington Cup Field section. 

Mornington Cup 2026 Jockeys

The final riders’ announcement is at 1:00 PM (AEST) on the Wednesday of race week and the official 2026 Mornington Cup jockeys will be published in our above Mornington Cup Field section. 

Mornington Cup Scratchings 2026

2026 Mornington Cup scratchings close at 7:30 AM (AEST) on Saturday, April 18, 2026. 

Mornington Cup Prize Money 2026

The 2026 Mornington Cup prize purse is worth $300,000 in total, distributed from places first through eighth.

Place	Prize Money
1st	$180,000
2nd	$54,000
3rd	$27,000
4th	$13,500
5th	$7,500
6th	$6,000
7th	$6,000
8th	$6,000

Mornington Cup Race Number 2026

The 2026 Mornington Cup race number is scheduled as Mornington Race 8 at 4:00pm (AEST) on Saturday, April 18, 2026. There are ten races in total that day at Mornington Racecourse. 

Mornington 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 Mornington Cup Form Guide following final acceptances. 

CLICK HERE FOR OUR FULL 2026 MORNINGTON CUP FORM GUIDE

Mornington Cup Live 2026

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

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

Free-to-air television: Channel 78 (and 68 in regional areas)

Radio: Radio Sport National

Streaming: Racing.com

Mobile: Neds App

Mornington Cup Winners

Past Mornington Cup winners going back to 2000 are displayed in the table below. For a more complete list of previous Mornington Cup winners and placegetters going back to 1963 – click here. 

YEAR	WINNER	TRAINER/S	JOCKEY	WEIGHT	TIME
2026	KINGS VALLEY (IRE)	Ciaron Maher	Lachlan Neindorf	54kg	2:30.59
2025	BANKERS CHOICE (NZ)	Glen Thompson	Daniel Stackhouse	57kg	2:29.40
2024	ESTI FENY (HUN)	Matthew Smith	Daniel Stackhouse	55kg	2:32.58
2023	RIGHT YOU ARE	Ciaron Maher & David Eustace	Ben Melham	58kg	2:29.95
2022	CRYSTAL PEGASUS(GB)	Chris Waller	Craig Williams	56kg	2:30.64
2021	MOUNT POPA(IRE)	Michael, Wayne & John Hawkes	William Pike	56.5kg	2:33.97
2020	AKTAU(GB)	Michael Moroney	Jye McNeil	54kg	2:27.15
2019	SELF SENSE	David Brideoake	Luke Nolen	55.5kg	2:32.42
2018	KINGS WILL DREAM(IRE)	Darren Weir	Dean Yendall	54kg	2:28.67
2017	TALLY	John O’Shea	Andrew Mallyon	59kg	2:27.02
2016	BERISHA	Robert Smerdon	Daniel Moor	55kg	2:25.42
2015	BANCA MO	Scott Brunton	Dean Holland	56kg	2:31.68
2014	INSTRUMENTALIST(IRE)	Chris Waller	Craig Newitt	54kg	2:32.58
2013	TUSCAN FIRE	Dan O’Sullivan	Glen Boss	56.5kg	2:31.72
2012	NORSQUI	Walter McShane	Chris Symons	54kg	2:29.88
2011	GUYNO(NZ)	Lou Luciani	Jason Whiting	56.5kg	2:30.60
2010	CAPECOVER(NZ)	Patrick Payne	Steven Arnold	59kg	2:29.73
2009	BANANA MAN	Michael Kent	Brad Rawiller	58.5kg	2:32.59
2008	ATTRITION	Pat Carey	Mark Pegus	53kg	2:10.44
2007	HOFMEISTER(NZ)	Robert Smerdon	Nash Rawiller	55.5kg	2:04.79
2006	ULYSSES	David Hayes	Craig Williams	56kg	2:03.58
2005	KOUNTHEKASH(NZ)	Lee Freedman	Nick Ryan	54kg	2:03.07
2004	GUNNAMATTA	Tony Noonan	Damien Oliver	56.5kg	2:04.76
2003	GUNNAMATTA	Tony Noonan	Nash Rawiller	57kg	2:03.33
2002	GUNNAMATTA	Tony Noonan	Kerrin McEvoy	51.5kg	2:04.12
2001	VOILE D’OR	Bart Cummings	Damien Oliver	58kg	2:05.52
2000	LITMUS	Barry Barnes	Dale Short	53kg	2:04.23