King Charles's Former Horse Wins the Melbourne Cup

sportNov 3, 2026·269 words·3 min read

Point of Law, a three-year-old horse that once belonged to King Charles, won the 166th Melbourne Cup on Tuesday in only his sixth race. Australian jockey Ethan Brown rode him from the middle of the group and moved clear in the last 100 metres. Ciaron Maher, who trains the horse, became the first trainer ever to prepare the top three finishers. The King sold Point of Law earlier this year.

The Melbourne Cup started in 1861 and is Australia's most famous race. The prize money is A$10.2 million. Horse racing is a very old sport. People raced horses in ancient Greece, Rome and Egypt, and it was part of the ancient Olympic Games. Today, the most common type is flat racing.

Many people bet money on horse races. Last year, people bet a record $382.5 million on the Melbourne Cup. But some people worry about the horses. In the United Kingdom, 186 horses died because of racing in 2019. This year, one horse, Asterix, could not run because a worker gave it medicine on race day, which is not allowed. Outside the course, protesters held signs saying "horse racing kills". A poll, or survey of opinions, found that only 9% of Australians are very interested in the race.

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