From the Caloundra Cup to the Melbourne Cup: can ‘So You Are’ make it three?

The last two Melbourne Cups have been won by horses that ran in the Caloundra Cup. On Tuesday 3 November, the Sunshine Coast is hoping for a third.

2024: knight’s choice

Knight’s Choice ran fourth in the 2024 Caloundra Cup on a heavy track, carrying 59kg with Robbie Dolan aboard. He’s trained by John Symons and Sheila Laxon, and the Sunshine Coast is his home track. Four months later, he and Dolan won the Melbourne Cup at $81, one of the great upsets in the race’s history.

2025: half yours

Half Yours won the 2025 Caloundra Cup with Ash Morgan in the saddle, then went on to win the Melbourne Cup that spring. That made it two years in a row that the Melbourne Cup winner had come through our biggest winter race.

2026: So You Are

So You Are ran second in this year’s Caloundra Cup, with Ash Morgan riding. He then joined Bjorn Baker’s stable and hasn’t looked back. He’s won three in a row since, including the Group 3 St Leger at Randwick and the Group 3 Bendigo Cup. On Tuesday he lines up in the Melbourne Cup with Rachel King to ride.

He won’t be the only Caloundra Cup horse in the field, either. Knight’s Choice, the 2024 winner, is back for another crack.

Where the Coast celebrates the Cup

The Melbourne Cup is run at Flemington, but at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club it feels like a home game. Thousands of people will be on course watching horses they saw race here in July. If one of them hits the front in the straight, expect a roar from people who saw that horse first.

“The Caloundra Cup has become the race where Melbourne Cup winners announce themselves,” said Sunshine Coast Turf Club CEO John Miller. “Knight’s Choice, then Half Yours, and now So You Are gets his chance. When one of our horses gets up, the whole course goes up with it. Spring success starts in the Queensland winter, and the Sunshine Coast Turf Club is where the Coast celebrates the Cup.”

Your Melbourne Cup Day at the Sunshine Coast Turf Club

Watch the Lexus Melbourne Cup live on our big screens at 2pm, with a full card of live racing on our own track. Here’s what else is on:

  • Live music: local favourite Beverly Thrills from gates open, then Sydney duo ALLIAS & AURA on the main stage. Their music has soundtracked YSL Beauty and Roberto Cavalli launches.
  • Fashions on the Field: hosted by Kawana boutique Billy J.
  • The Avenue: the Coast’s best food trucks, bars, and Royal Rally Club table tennis.
  • Getting there: a $25 return bus, plus free off-track buses after the last race.

Gates open at 9:15am for Members and 9:30am for everyone else.

All hospitality is now sold out. General admission tickets are $37 online or $40 at the gate, and under 18s are free.

Here’s who’s headlining, and how to lock in your night.

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