Point Of Law wins the Melbourne Cup as Ciaron Maher trains the first three

Point Of Law won the 166th Melbourne Cup at Flemington on Tuesday, leading home a one-two-three for trainer Ciaron Maher. Zahrann was second and Juja Kibo third, with Sons And Lovers fourth and Royal Supremacy fifth.

Ridden by Ethan Brown, the British-bred Point Of Law won on only his sixth start, on ground rated Soft 5 after weekend rain. He was drawn in barrier 9 and carried 53kg, two reasons he was among the most fancied runners before the race.

British and Irish runners well beaten

The British and Irish-trained runners never threatened. Joseph O'Brien ran five, with Sons And Lovers the best of them in fourth. George Boughey's Hopewell Rock, beaten a short head in the Ebor at York in August, finished ninth. Last year's runner-up Goodie Two Shoes was 22nd. Asterix was scratched on race morning.

A European-bred one-two-three

All of the first three were bred in Britain or Ireland and are now trained in Australia, a route Maher has used to great effect. In fact all five placed horses were bred in Britain or Ireland.

The full field and result are on our Melbourne Cup page. The next big British meeting is the Cheltenham November Meeting from 13 to 15 November, and every big date this winter is on our big race calendar.