Point of Law wins Melbourne Cup as Maher claims historic trifecta
Ethan Brown secured his first Melbourne Cup victory, while Ciaron Maher became the first trainer to prepare the race’s first three finishers.
Ciaron Maher trained the first three finishers in the Melbourne Cup on 3 November 2026, with Point of Law winning by 3.75 lengths under Ethan Brown. It was Maher’s second victory in the race and Brown’s first.
Stablemates Zahrann and Juja Kibo completed the trifecta, a training achievement not previously recorded in the Cup’s 166 editions. Maher had seven runners, with Royal Supremacy finishing fifth, Shockletz sixth and Mr Monaco 17th.
Royal Supremacy took the lead during the race’s first half and opened a gap of up to 20 lengths by the 1,000m mark. He was still well clear entering the Flemington straight before Brown brought Point of Law through from the pursuing field to take over.
The Geelong Cup winner was having just his sixth career start. He joined Rekindling, who won in 2017, and Cross Counter, the 2018 winner, as Northern Hemisphere three-year-olds to claim the Cup.
Point of Law was previously owned by King Charles III and Queen Camilla. After the victory, Brown thanked Maher for continuing to support him despite mistakes he had made riding the trainer’s horses.
