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Eye-watering $20m prize floated for 2026 Caulfield Cup
Andrew Slevison • March 18th, 2025 12:18 pm
The 2026 Caulfield Cup could be worth $20 million.
Melbourne Racing Club (MRC) chairman John Kanga has suggested that prize money for next year’s edition of the great 2400m handicap could potentially be boosted significantly.
Kanga did deny that this year’s edition of the Caulfield Cup will be worth $10 million, confirming it will remain at $5 million.
“I can categorically deny those rumours,” he said.
“It won’t be worth $10 million, that’s not a good rumour.”
But he did float the possibility of the 2026 Cup, which falls in the club’s 150th year anniversary, being worth $20m.
That would make the Caulfield Cup the equal richest race in Australia (and richest turf race in the world) alongside The Everest - at least for one year.
“As a club it’s our 150th year next year as VATC and MRC, so we’re looking at some really special things to go through,” Kanga said on SENTrack’s Giddy Up.
“If I was going to do a special promotion for the 150th year, we wouldn’t do a $10 million Cup, we’d probably do a $20 million Cup.
“If you’re going to do it, you’re going to do it big.”
Giddy Up host Gareth Hall asked: “So $20 million in 2026?”
Kanga replied: “I said probably.
“I’m very serious. Since October 3 tell me something we haven’t said that wasn’t serious. We’re looking at all sorts of things.
“Or do we bump our prize money for every race at Caulfield for that celebratory year? There’s a couple for things we’re looking at.
“All I can tell you is the 2025-2026 (racing) year is going to be off its head.”
Hall mused: “That is exciting, a $20 million Cup.
“I wonder what type of thoroughbred you would attract to the race with that type pf prize money?”
Kanga said it wouldn’t be Racing Victoria putting up the money, it would be the Melbourne Racing Club “topping up”.
The MRC chief does want to make sure they are “getting bang for buck” and that the concept is “financially prudent”.
He says some “nice transactions” are coming the way of the Melbourne Racing Club which will assist
“We’ve got a couple of really, really nice transactions on the way that could lift that and fund it,” Kanga added.
“I’m very excited that we’ll announce that shortly.”
This year’s Caulfield Cup will be run at Caulfield racecourse on Saturday, October 18, ahead of next year’s massive celebration edition of the premiere handicap race.
