Melbourne Cup Order of Entry Explained
The order of entry for the Melbourne Cup determines which horses will make the final field of 24 on the first Tuesday in November.
Of the hundreds of entries each year, horses need to qualify to make the Melbourne Cup field. This article explains how horses secure a spot in the race, and how qualification, and ballot exemption affects the order of entry.
2025 Melbourne Cup Order of Entry
The order of entry is not available yet as the Melbourne Cup weights have not been allocated. This will take place on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, and this page will be updated shortly after.
Entry Requirements for the Melbourne Cup
Not all horses are eligible to be nominated for the Melbourne Cup. To be eligible, a horse must satisfy one of a number of clauses or have won a ballot exempt race.
Ballot Exemption
Horses that have won a Melbourne Cup ballot exempt race in the same calendar year are exempt from the balloting process that determines the final field. These ‘Golden Ticket’ races guarantee a horse can line up in the Cup if they are fit and well and their connections have paid up for the relevant nomination stages. The eight ballot exempt races are:
- Lexus Roy Higgins
- Lexus Andrew Ramsden
- Belmont Gold Cup
- Lexus Bart Cummings
- Lexus Archer Stakes
- Cox Plate
- Caulfield Cup
- York Ebor Handicap.
Qualifying Races
In order to qualify, a horse must have achieved a certain result in the previous year, or the year before that when it comes to placing 1st, 2nd or 3rd in the Melbourne Cup or winning the Caulfield Cup. Ballot exempt races must be won in the same year as the Melbourne Cup to qualify for exemption. The following criteria must be met for a horse to be nominated:
- Won or was placed 2nd or 3rd in an internationally recognised Group or Graded flat race run over 2300 metres or further.
- Was placed 4th or 5th in an internationally recognised Group 1 or Grade 1 flat race run over 2300 metres or further in which horses older than 3 years old could run.
- Won an internationally recognised Listed flat race run over 2300 metres or further.
- Won the Northumberland Plate (UK), or was placed 6th, 7th or 8th in the Caulfield Cup.
- Won or was placed 2nd or 3rd in an internationally recognised Group 1 or Graded 1 flat race run over 2000 metres or further.
- Won or was placed 2nd or 3rd in one of the eight Ballot exempt races listed above.
- Won or was placed 2nd or 3rd in the Melbourne Cup.
- Won the Caulfield Cup.
- Weight Scale & Prize Money
Apart from the eight horses with ballot exemption, the remainder of the field is determined by a qualified horse's weight. The higher up the weight scale a horse is, the more likely it is to gain a start, while horses with low weights will have to rely on the benchmark weight adding favour to their allocated weight.
If horses are equal on allocated weight and benchmark weight, the prize money accrued in ‘Relevant Race Performance’ races will determine the order of entry.
Benchmark Weights
3YO Colts & Geldings 50.0kg;
3YO Filly 48.5kg
Northern Hemisphere 3YO Colts & Geldings 56.5kg
Northern Hemisphere 3YO Filly 55.0kg
4YO Entires & Geldings 58.0kg
4YO Mare 56.5kg
5YO+ Entires & Geldings 59.5kg
5YO+ Mare 58.0kg
Minimum Weight
3YO 49.0kg
4YO & Up 50.0kg
Minimum Top Weight
The minimum weight in any Group 1 handicap in Australia must not be less than 58kg
More on the Melbourne Cup
If you are looking for betting advice on the Cup, you can visit our 2025 Melbourne Cup Tips anytime leading up to the big race to see who our experts are tipping.
