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Kingswood Wins the 150th Caulfield Cup at $26; Stewards Clear Riders Over Fall

Priya NairBy , Casino Reviewer: Casino and Sportsbook Sites
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Kingswood won the 150th running of the Caulfield Cup on Saturday 17 October 2026, paying $26 on the TAB. The seven-year-old grey, trained by Gavin Bedggood and ridden by John Allen, won the $6 million, 2400m handicap by half a length from the Ciaron Maher-trained Saint George, with English visitor Enfjaar a length away third. Pre-race favourite Cosmic Crusader finished fourth. The race was overshadowed by a fall in the straight, and Racing Victoria stewards closed their inquiry into it on Tuesday 20 October without penalising any rider.

How the race was run

Kingswood drew barrier 17, the widest in the field, and raced three-wide for most of the trip. Allen let a group of horses go early and angled across into the race, then took the lead from Enfjaar with about 100 metres left. It was Bedggood’s first win in a major race. Allen, who is based in Ballarat, had previously won the 2021 Cox Plate on State Of Rest.

“It’s great to be vindicated,” Bedggood said. Kingswood had earlier won the Coongy Cup at Caulfield.

The official crowd was 30,051, the largest for Caulfield Cup day in a decade, according to AAP.

The fall and the stewards’ findings

Near the 300m mark, 2025 Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup winner Half Yours fell after being tightened for room and brought down the Chris Waller-trained mare Ohope Wins. Ohope Wins was euthanised on course. Half Yours escaped with superficial lacerations, and jockeys Mark Zahra and Jye McNeil were taken to hospital for observation without serious injury.

The stewards adjourned their inquiry on race day and resumed it on Tuesday 20 October. Their findings, as reported by The Nightly:

  • Kings Valley (apprentice Jabez Johnstone) shifted out and Green Spaces (Rachel King) shifted in, causing contact; Kings Valley then moved into Half Yours’ path.
  • Half Yours was squeezed between Kings Valley and Zahrann (Ethan Brown) and fell shortly afterwards.
  • The incident could not be attributed to the careless riding of any one rider. King and Johnstone took corrective action, and Brown did not contribute.
  • An inspection found no safety issues with the track surface.

No further action was taken against any jockey.

What it means for punters

For anyone who backed Half Yours or Ohope Wins, a fall is simply a losing bet: under standard Australian wagering rules, a runner that starts and fails to finish is a loser, and there are no refunds. Stewards’ inquiries can lead to penalties for riders, but they do not change the official placings for betting purposes unless protests are lodged and upheld before correct weight.

Kingswood’s price is also a reminder of how open a 2400m handicap can be. A $26 starting price implies a win chance of under 4 per cent, and the favourite finished fourth. Handicap weights, a big field and the draw all add uncertainty that a single price cannot capture. The Caulfield Cup is also one of the races that carries a ballot exemption for the Melbourne Cup on Tuesday 3 November, under Victoria Racing Club conditions.

If you bet on the carnival, set your limit before the first race. Our guide to setting gambling limits explains the tools available on Australian wagering accounts.

Kingswood, trained by Gavin Bedggood and ridden by John Allen, won the 150th Caulfield Cup on 17 October 2026 at a TAB starting price of $26.

Half Yours fell near the 300m mark after being tightened for room and brought down Ohope Wins, which was euthanised. Half Yours suffered superficial lacerations.

No. Stewards found the incident was caused by marginal shifts by two runners and could not be attributed to the careless riding of any one jockey.

Sources

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Header photo: GGF Race7c by Noah Salzman, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.