Melbourne Cup Field 2026: Saint George Out, 5 Horses Face Vet Re-Checks Before Saturday's Cut

Updated on October 30, 2026.

The Melbourne Cup field 2026 is not settled yet. Racing Victoria stewards withdrew Saint George on veterinary advice after Thursday’s inspections (Oct. 29), and five horses, including Joseph O’Brien’s Defiantly, must pass a second vet check before final acceptances close at 4:30 p.m. AEDT on Saturday, Oct. 31. The A$10.2 million race over 3,200 meters runs on Tuesday, Nov. 3, at Flemington.

Quick summary

• Racing Victoria vets inspected 36 Melbourne Cup horses on Thursday, and 29 passed their initial examinations.
• Saint George, 19th in the order of entry, was withdrawn by stewards on veterinary advice.
• Defiantly, Vauban, Enfjaar, Wine Dark Sea and Litzdeel showed changes in gait and will be checked again on Friday or Saturday.
• Jennivamoose passed her inspection but was withdrawn by her connections.
• Japanese runner Stinger Glass has his first mandatory vet check on Friday.
• The field of 24 is set at final acceptances, 4:30 p.m. AEDT on Saturday, Oct. 31.

Who is out of the Melbourne Cup 2026?

Saint George and Jennivamoose, both trained by Ciaron Maher, are the latest horses out of the Melbourne Cup. Racing Victoria stewards ordered Saint George’s withdrawal following specialist veterinary advice, according to races.com.au. He was sitting 19th in the order of entry, which would have put him inside the top 24. No further reason has been published.

Jennivamoose is a different case. She passed her mandatory vet examination, but her connections took her out of the race, according to Just Horse Racing.

They join a long list of horses that left the race earlier in the week. At third acceptances on Monday (Oct. 26), the list was cut to 39 horses. Chris Waller’s Aeliana and Birdman were among those who did not go on, according to races.com.au, and last year’s winner, Half Yours, was not among the third declarations after a fall in the Caulfield Cup.

Which horses failed the Melbourne Cup vet inspections?

Five horses were not cleared on Thursday and must pass a second examination: Defiantly, Vauban, Enfjaar, Wine Dark Sea and Litzdeel. All of them showed a change in gait compared with earlier assessments, according to races.com.au.

The biggest name is Defiantly, trained by Joseph O’Brien and equal first in the order of entry. He presented without a right hind shoe, so vets will look at him again on Saturday morning after he has been reshod.

Horse	Order of entry	Issue at Thursday's check	Re-examination
Defiantly	Equal 1st	No right hind shoe, change in gait	Saturday morning, after reshoeing
Vauban	13th	Change in gait	Friday morning
Enfjaar	17th	Change in gait	Saturday morning
Wine Dark Sea	18th	Change in gait	Saturday morning
Litzdeel	32nd	Not cleared	Friday morning

Vauban, trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, has the earlier re-check, on Friday morning. Roger Varian’s Enfjaar and Harry Charlton’s Wine Dark Sea wait until Saturday, only hours before the field is locked in.

Stinger Glass, the Japanese contender trained by Yasuo Tomomichi, did not take part in Thursday’s inspections. He is scheduled for his first mandatory examination on Friday.

When is the Melbourne Cup field 2026 final?

The Melbourne Cup field 2026 is final at 4:30 p.m. AEDT on Saturday, Oct. 31, when acceptances close on Victoria Derby Day. Only 24 horses can start, so anyone ranked below the cut needs others to drop out.

Among the horses already cleared are Point Of Law, Trustyourinstinct, Middle Earth, Hopewell Rock, James J Braddock and Sons And Lovers. Point Of Law, the Geelong Cup winner, is the early favorite in the markets quoted by races.com.au. He will carry 53kg after the 2kg penalty for that win, which we explained in our story on Point Of Law’s Melbourne Cup weight.

The order of entry still matters. Every horse that drops out above the cut lets the next one in, so a failed re-check on Saturday can change the field until the last minute. So You Are, for example, moved up to 24th after a 1kg penalty, according to Just Horse Racing.

What it means for punters in Australia

If you bet on the Cup, the field you see before Saturday’s acceptances can still change. Betting online on sport and racing is legal in Australia only with a bookmaker licensed by an Australian state or territory, and you can check any operator on the ACMA register. Credit cards and crypto can’t fund online betting accounts, a rule in place since June 11, 2024. In New South Wales, betting online on Australian races with an unlicensed bookmaker is an offense for the bettor too. If betting stops being fun, BetStop lets you exclude yourself from every licensed online bookmaker.

If you also play poker, the rules are different. The Interactive Gambling Act bans sites from offering online poker to Australians, but players aren’t penalized. Ignition is one of the international rooms that accept Australians, and like the others it is not licensed in Australia. Read our guide to online poker in Australia before you sign up anywhere.

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This article is for information only and is not legal advice.

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Frequently asked questions

Sources

• Just Horse Racing: Melbourne Cup 2026 vet inspections, five horses fail initial checks as Saint George withdrawn
• races.com.au: Melbourne Cup 2026 field update, vet scrutiny shakes up final acceptance picture
• races.com.au: Melbourne Cup 2026 third acceptances, final 39 remain
• Racing Post: Leading British and Irish Melbourne Cup contenders at risk after vets checks

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