Get your sweepstake kit ready for Melbourne Cup Day

Sport Nation • November 3rd, 2026 6:00 am

The Melbourne Cup at Flemington | Photo: Photosport

The field is set for the 166th running of the Melbourne Cup, with the 3200-metre staying test to be run at Flemington this Tuesday 5pm (NZ time).

Overnight, the George Boughey-trained Hopewell Rock has overtaken Geelong Cup winner Point Of Law as the favourite, but there are several other leading chances to consider.

Can the favourite get the job done? Or, will one of the seven horses trained by Ciaron Maher, or one of the five trained by Joseph O'Brien, take out the race that stops two nations? Or perhaps, is there a thrilling Cup Day upset in store?

The TAB have your office sorted for this year's race with a complete sweepstake kit - download it here.

How to run a successful sweepstake:

Print out the kit and from the full field listed below fill in the names next to the horse's number.
Set the rules first - decide whether the sweepstake is just for fun or has a prize, and explain how the draw will work before names are picked.
Make the draw fair - put each runner’s name in a container and let each person draw a horse at random. If there are more participants than runners, decide in advance how you’ll handle extra entries.
Plan for scratchings - if a horse is withdrawn from the Melbourne Cup after your draw, agree whether its person redraws or the entry is treated as a non-runner.
Keep everyone involved - put the completed sheet somewhere visible, share a photo with anyone working remotely, and make sure people know which horse they’ve drawn.
Keep it simple and enjoy the race! Make participation optional, and remember a sweepstake can be fun without money changing hands.