The Melbourne Cup carnival is back and in full swing, with a wet and wild day expected at Flemington for the race that stops the nation.
Yet again, the Caulfield Cup winner will come into the Melbourne Cup as favourite, with this year's sole Australian hope, Half Yours.
The second line of betting then gets interesting, with four horses—Presage Nocturne, Valiant King, Al Riffa, and Buckaroo—all jousting for second favouritism.
AllSportsPeople has all the jockey information for this year's Cup favourites below.
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Who is riding Half Yours in the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s Caulfield Cup winner, Half Yours, has been in lights-out form this spring, and will yet again be joined by Jamie Melham.
Melham, formerly known as Jamie Kah, has yet to win a Melbourne Cup, but her third place finish last year shows she is capable - and she has never had a better chance than her ride this year.
Who is riding Presage Nocturne in the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
One of the many international hopes, Presage Nocturne comes into the Cup with only one Australian race under its belt, a gallant fourth in the Caulfield Cup.
As was the case in the Caulfield Cup, Presage Nocturne will be saddled by its fellow Frenchman, Stéphane Pasquier.
The 47-year-old Pasquier has won nearly every race there is to win in France, but he has yet to make a dent in Australian racing, with his 2025 Caulfield appearance his first and only in Australia.
Who is riding Valiant King in the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
The number 24 bottom weight, Valiant King, enters the race with a proven Melbourne Cup jockey in Jye McNeil.
McNeil rode Twilight Payment to victory in a courageous leading start-to-finish ride in the 2020 Cup at odds of $26.
This time around, McNeil and Valiant King come in at a bottom weight of 51kg and a near perfect barrier 10.
Could he do it again?
Who is riding Al Riffa in the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
If there is one thing we know about Mark Zahra, it is that he can win a Melbourne Cup—having won back-to-back Cups in 2022 and 2023.
And if there is one more thing we should know about Zahra, it is that he can win a Melbourne Cup on a top weight, steering Gold Trip home in 2022—the first top weight winner since Makybe Diva.
Zahra finds himself yet again on a top weight with Al Riffa, a horse that arrives in Australia with blistering Irish form, but it will take all of Zahra’s class to win from barrier 19.
Who is riding Buckaroo in the 2025 Melbourne Cup?
Last year's favourite goes around again, coming off four consecutive placings this preparation.
Unlike last year, Buckaroo will be steered by Craig Williams and comes in 2.5kg heavier, with 57kg.
After a 0.1L defeat to Via Sistina in the Cox Plate last start, Buckaroo and Williams will be full of confidence to go one better in the Cup.
Melbourne Cup 2025 final field, barriers and betting odds
| Runner (Barrier) | Jockey | Trainer | Odds |
| 1. Al Riffa (19) | Mark Zahra | Joseph O'Brien | $7.50 |
| 2. Buckaroo (12) | Craig Williams | Chris Waller | $9 |
| 3. Arapaho (15) | Rachel King | Bjorn Baker | $41 |
| 4. Vauban (2) | Blake Shinn | G Waterhouse & A Bott | $23 |
| 5. Chevalier Rose (5) | Damian Lane | Hisashi Shimizu | $34 |
| 6. Presage Nocturn (9) | Stephane Pasquier | Alessandro Botti | $8.50 |
| 7. Middle Earth (13) | Ethan Brown | Ciaron Maher | $41 |
| 8. Meydaan (22) | James McDonald | Simon & E Crisford | $20 |
| 9. Absurde (4) | Kerrin McEvoy | Willie Mullins | $19 |
| 10. Flatten The Curve (17) | Thore Hammer Hansen | Henk Grewe | $21 |
| 11. Land Legend (16) | Joao Moreira | Chris Waller | $61 |
| 12. Smokin' Romans (11) | Ben Melham | Ciaron Maher | $61 |
| 13. Changingoftheguard (24) | Tim Clark | Kris Lees | $61 |
| 14. Half Yours (8) | Jamie Melham | Tony & C McEvoy | $7.50 |
| 15. More Felons (23) | Tommy Berry | Chris Waller | $41 |
| 16. Onesmoothoperator (6) | Harry Coffey | Brian Ellison | $31 |
| 17. Further (7) | Michael Dee | Andrew Balding | $26 |
| 18. Parchment Party (3) | John Velazquez | William Mott | $51 |
| 19. Athabascan (1) | Declan Bates | J O'Shea & T Charlton | $81 |
| 20. Goodie Two Shoes (20) | Wayne Lordan | Joseph O'Brien | $41 |
| 21. River Of Stars (14) | Beau Mertens | Chris Waller | $17 |
| 22. Royal Supremacy (21) | Robbie Dolan | Ciaron Maher | $31 |
| 23. Torranzino (18) | Celine Gaudray | Paul Preusker | $34 |
| 24. Valiant King (10) | Jye McNeil | Chris Waller | $8 |