The road to Flemington is beginning to take shape, with a strong group of OTI stayers among the nominations for the 2026 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
With 101 horses nominated for the $10.2 million feature on November 3, OTI is well represented by a mix of established stayers and progressive types hoping to earn their place in the final field.
Small Fry has earned his place among our leading Cup hopefuls following an excellent European campaign. His impressive victory over 3256m at York confirmed his staying credentials, and he has since successfully passed the Racing Victoria scanning process required for international horses. He now prepares to enter quarantine ahead of his trip to Australia, where he will likely contest either the Group 3 Geelong Cup or the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup in a bid to secure Melbourne Cup qualification.
Small Fry after some exercise as he prepares to head into quarantine
King Pedro emerged as one of our most exciting staying prospects last preparation, and is already through the ballot clauses courtesy of his impressive Listed Grafton Cup victory last preparation. He is set to resume in the Group 2 Kingston Town Stakes at Randwick before progressing to the Group 2 The Metropolitan. From there, we’ll pick the best path to have him peaking in November.
King Pedro receives a deserved kiss after his Listed Grafton Cup Victory (Photo: Darren Winningham)
Nearco Frod has continued to progress nicely through the grades this preparation, with four consecutive wins on the board. He will have the opportunity to secure his place in the Melbourne Cup when he contests the Group 3 Archer Stakes at Flemington next week, with the winner earning a coveted ‘golden ticket’. Think Giant is another progressive stayer who will chase qualification in the Archer.
Other OTI horses currently nominated include Deakin, Sam Hawkens, Athabascan, Sir Chartwell, Highland Bling, Wigmore and Golden Century.
Melbourne Cup weights will be released on September 17, which will provide a clearer picture of where our contenders sit. There is still plenty of water to go under the bridge, but we hope to have a number of our chances qualified and firmly in the mix as the spring progresses.
The full list of nominations can be found here.
Photo credit: Victoria Racing Club