The Caulfield Cup has been given a fresh look ahead of this year’s 150th edition with a prizemoney boost and four new ballot-free races in the UK guaranteeing the winners positions in the field.

Run in mid-October, the now $6 million 2400m event acts as a conventional lead up to the Melbourne Cup (3200m) each year.

The revised prizemoney distribution now has the winner receiving $3.3 million, $1 million more than in 2025, plus trophies will increase from $330,000 to $550,000.

“The Sportsbet Caulfield Cup is one of Australia’s great races and the Melbourne Racing Club has a responsibility to ensure it remains there,” Melbourne Racing Club chief executive Tanya Fullarton said.

“The 150th running gives us the right moment to elevate the race, ensuring it remains a compelling target for the best available staying horses.

“The Sportsbet Caulfield Cup will remain the world’s richest 2400m handicap race supported by the increased prizemoney pool, which in distributing money to every starter, recognises the considerable commitment required to prepare a horse for a race of this scale.”

For the first time, every starter will gain compensation for participating with horses placing outside the top 10 earning $60,000, aligning with the Melbourne Cup’s prizemoney structure of runners outside the first 12 receiving one percent of stakes.

The four ballot-free events begin as early as Tuesday night at Royal Ascot with the victor of the Listed Wolferton Stakes (2004m) achieving entry.

Later in the year, the Glorious Stakes (2412m) at Goodwood, Prix de Reux (2500m) at Deauville and Ballyroan Stakes (2414m) at Leopardstown – all Group 3 races – have also been added as overseas qualifiers.

“These races staged at premium European venues have been selected to provide a more current and practical pathway for British, Irish and French-trained horses with a genuine Caulfield Cup profile,” Fullarton said.

“The Sportsbet Caulfield Cup has an extraordinary past. These changes are about making sure it has an equally strong future.”

Racing Victoria welcomed the decision and endorsed the prospect of enhancing the Melbourne Cup’s stature.

“The Sportsbet Caulfield Cup is an integral part of the rich heritage of Victorian, and indeed, Australian racing, and this year marks a momentous occasion with the 150th edition of this great handicap race,” Racing Victoria chief executive Aaron Morrison said.

“The MRC’s additional prizemoney investment celebrates that incredible milestone and will help to ensure another outstanding field of stayers from across Australia and abroad will target the race.

“The change to the prizemoney structure also aligns the Sportsbet Caulfield Cup and Lexus Melbourne Cup in recognising the additional time, effort and money that goes into training and qualifying horses for our greatest staying races.”

The tactics of 2025 Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours came under fire on the weekend when finishing fourth in the Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm.

Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy was disappointed with the rides in opposition to winners Mark Zahra and Royal Supremacy – including Jamie Melham on Half Yours.

“$1.2 million race, and it’s a complete non-event,” McEvoy said on SEN.

“With Pride Of Jenni being scratched, the race changed complexion. I didn’t really know where the speed was going to be.

“I certainly didn’t expect there to be absolutely no speed at all.

“It was quite embarrassing, from my point of view, that all of the jockeys let Mark get away with what he got away with.

“I don’t think Winx could have run down — it’s mathematically impossible when you’re that far off a lead horse that’s running such slow sectionals.

“It’s racing, there’s not much you can do from the grandstand.

“But I think he was probably there to be running a big race and he didn’t get that opportunity.”

McEvoy said he feels the horse is going well enough heading into a cups defence this year.

“He went 10.9 (seconds from the 400m to 200m), 11.6 (200m to post). That’s very quick time,” he said.

“I think the horse was going very well into the race, and he’s obviously shown that with his sectionals.

“It’s done now; it’s in the past… we’ll reset now for the spring.”