King Charles's Former Horse Wins Melbourne Cup

sportNov 3, 2026·377 words·3 min read

Point of Law, a three-year-old colt previously owned by King Charles, won the 166th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, on only his sixth career start. Ridden by Australian jockey Ethan Brown, the horse emerged from the middle of the pack and pulled clear in the final 100 metres, finishing ahead of Zahrann and Juja Kibo. His trainer, Ciaron Maher, became the first to saddle the top three finishers. The King sold the colt earlier this year to a group of investors.

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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