THE road to the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup is officially underway, with the Victoria Racing Club announcing 120 nominations for the Group 1 $10 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m) on Tuesday, November 4th. Nine of those nominations are from Irish trainers.

Two-time Lexus Melbourne Cup-winning trainer Joseph O’Brien has nominated two horses, led by the now Australian-owned Al Riffa who will be following in the footsteps of Lexus Melbourne Cup winners Rekindling (2017) and Twilight Payment (2020). The J.P. McManus-owned Goodie Two Shoes is the trainer’s second nomination.