Forget the Melbourne Cup form guide – this is the horse that has it all

November 3, 2026 — 5:00am

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The Melbourne Cup isn’t just won on a Tuesday afternoon.

It’s won after months of quiet planning, the clinical execution of plans by master trainers, and the cold, hard facts of the handicapping scale. If you are looking for a horse that ticks every box for the $10 million feature, you can stop scrolling through the form guide.

Point Of Law is the horse that has it all.

To understand why, you just have to look at what he did in his Australian debut in the Geelong Cup. It wasn’t just that he won – it was how he did it. He raced a bit keenly early in his first race for over three months yet was able to sustain high pressure and had his rivals chasing a long way from home. To be able to absorb the pressure and still have the audacity to kick on too strongly for his opposition suggests we have seen the real deal here.

Then there is the master craftsman behind him. Ciaron Maher knows exactly what it takes to peak an international stayer on the first Tuesday of November. Point Of Law has thrived since joining his stable. He has acclimatised beautifully and although extremely lightly raced, he looks to be at the peak of his powers.

The handicap is another piece of the puzzle. If Maher bypassed this opportunity and waited another year to give Point Of Law a crack at the great race, there is zero chance he would be getting in with just 53 kilograms. It’s a........

© The Sydney Morning Herald