Chris Waller is yet again poised for an all-out assault on this year's Melbourne Cup.
Waller has become one of, if not the, premier horse trainer of Australia over the past decade, and this year may become his best chance at winning the Cup since his 2021 victory with Verry Elleegant.
After having four runners in 2023 and five runners last year, Waller currently has eight horses nominated at this stage for this year's rendition, ahead of Ciaron Maher with five.
Valiant King currently sits atop the order of entry with a ballot exemption after winning The Lexus Bart Cummings in early October, giving him an automatic ticket into the Cup.
MORE: Melbourne Cup: Order of entry, field for 2025 race
Meanwhile six of Waller’s remaining seven nominated horses sit inside the top 30.
After Waller’s first entry into the Melbourne Cup in 2009, he has had 36 total horses run (with another two making the final field but being late scratchings), with that number set to increase dramatically this year.
Bart Cummings currently holds the record total with 89 runners across exactly 50 years’ worth of Melbourne Cups, starting in 1958 with Asian Court and ending in 2008 with the eventual winner Viewed.
Current Melbourne Cup order of entry
As per October 27, 2025.
| Ballot | Horse | Sex | Age | Trainer | Weight | Penalty |
| 1= | HALF YOURS | G | 5 | Tony & Calvin McEvoy | 53kg | 2.0kg |
| 1= | ONESMOOTHOPERATOR (USA) | G | 8 | Brian Ellison | 53kg | 1.0kg |
| 1= | PARCHMENT PARTY (USA) | H | 5 | William Mott | 52kg | |
| 1= | TORRANZINO (NZ) | G | 6 | Paul Preusker | 51kg | |
| 1= | VALIANT KING (GB) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 51kg | |
| 6 | AL RIFFA (FR) | H | 6 | Joseph O'Brien | 59kg | |
| 7 | BUCKAROO (GB) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 57kg | |
| 8 | ARAPAHO (FR) | G | 9 | Bjorn Baker | 56.5kg | |
| 9 | VAUBAN (FR) | G | 8 | Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott | 56.5kg | |
| 10 | CHEVALIER ROSE (JPN) | H | 8 | Hisashi Shimizu | 55.5kg | |
| 11 | PRESAGE NOCTURNE (IRE) | H | 6 | Alessandro Botti | 55.5kg | |
| 12 | FURTHUR (IRE) | H | 4 | Andrew Balding | 52kg | |
| 13 | MIDDLE EARTH (GB) | G | 6 | Ciaron Maher | 54.5kg | |
| 14 | MEYDAAN (IRE) | G | 5 | Simon & Ed Crisford | 54kg | |
| 15 | LAND LEGEND (FR) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 53.5kg | |
| 16 | SMOKIN' ROMANS (NZ) | G | 9 | Ciaron Maher | 53.5kg | |
| 17 | ABSURDE (FR) | G | 8 | Willie Mullins | 53.5kg | |
| 18 | FLATTEN THE CURVE (FR) | G | 7 | Henk Grewe | 53.5kg | |
| 19 | RIVER OF STARS (IRE) | M | 7 | Chris Waller | 51.5kg | |
| 20 | MORE FELONS (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 53kg | |
| 21 | GOODIE TWO SHOES (IRE) | M | 7 | Joseph O'Brien | 51.5kg | |
| 22 | CHANGINGOFTHEGUARD (IRE) | G | 7 | Kris Lees | 53kg | |
| 23 | ATHABASCAN (FR) | G | 7 | John O'Shea & Tom Charlton | 51.5kg | |
| 24 | ROYAL SUPREMACY (IRE) | G | 5 | Ciaron Maher | 51kg | |
| 25 | MARK TWAIN (NZ) | G | 6 | Roger James & Robert Wellwood | 51kg | |
| 26 | BIRDMAN (IRE) | G | 5 | Chris Waller | 51kg | |
| 27 | POST IMPRESSIONIST (IRE) | G | 7 | Anthony & Sam Freedman | 51kg | |
| 28 | SCARY (NZ) | H | 4 | Emma-Lee & David Browne | 51kg | |
| 29 | TRAV (NZ) | G | 6 | Raymond Connors | 51kg | |
| 30 | ETNA ROSSO (IRE) | G | 6 | Chris Waller | 51kg | |
| 31 | GRAND PIERRO | G | 6 | Jason Warren | 51kg | |
| 32 | WHISKY ON THE HILL (GB) | G | 6 | Glen Thompson | 51kg | |
| 33 | INTERPRETATION (IRE) | G | 8 | Ciaron Maher | 51kg | |
| 34 | DON DIEGO DE VEGA (FR) | G | 6 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 51kg | |
| 35 | SAYEDATY SADATY (IRE) | G | 5 | Ciaron Maher | 51kg | |
| 36 | FERNAO (IRE) | G | 7 | Annabel & Rob Archibald | 51kg | |
| 37 | GOLDEN SNAP (JPN) | M | 6 | Katsunori Tanaka | 51.5kg | |
| 38= | QUIETNESS (GB) | M | 6 | John O'Shea & Tom Charlton | 51kg | |
| 38= | SO YOU ARE | G | 4 | Stirling Osland | 51kg | |
| 38= | STAR OF INDIA (IRE) | G | 7 | Chris Waller | 51kg |