Joseph O’Brien plotting HUGE Melbourne Cup raid

Irish gun trainer Joseph O’Brien is preparing to bring a formidable contingent to Australia this spring, revealing he could have as many as 10 or 11 horses chasing a place in the Melbourne Cup.

Gareth Hall discussed the news on SEN Track & RSN’s Giddy Up this morning, which was initially revealed by Nick Luck on his podcast Nick Luck Daily.

“Ten might be a stretch but he’ll have up to 10-11 horses trying to get to Melbourne to qualify for the Melbourne Cup,” Hall said.

“He’s already got about six qualified and all their owners want to come here for the Cup.

“There’s probably a few horses that would have to come here and win maybe a Geelong Cup or Moonee Valley Cup.”

O'Brien currenlty has six horses that have qualified for the first Tuesday in November: Defiantly, James J Braddock, Sons And Lovers, Goodie Two Shoes, Tennessee Stud and Trustyourinstinct.

However, should O’Brien manage to get all 10 or 11 of his prospective horses into the race, he would set a remarkable benchmark for a single trainer in the modern Melbourne Cup era.

The current record for the most runners trained by one individual in a Melbourne Cup stands at six, achieved by Robert Hickmott.

Among O’Brien’s prospective runners is Australian Bloodstock-owned Defiantly, who has reportedly “jumped out of the ground” in recent work, while James J Braddock is another attracting plenty of attention.

Owned by prominent Australian owner Ozzie Kheir, James J Braddock could be given the chance to make his way into the Cup field, with Kheir excited by the prospect of having O’Brien prepare the horse for Australia’s biggest race.

“It’s exciting to get James J Braddock to a situation where he could potentially get to the Cup and for Joseph to get him there is so exciting for the owners,” Kheir said.

Kheir also praised O’Brien’s communication, joking that the Irishman could end up with half the Melbourne Cup field if everything falls into place.

“I spoke to him last night and was joking to him that he’ll probably have half the field,” Kheir continued.

“But in all seriousness, the European trainers are sometimes not the best at communicating but in Joseph’s case, he understands the balance and communicates really well, which Australian owners appreciate.”

Asked by Hall whether James J Braddock could potentially win the Melbourne Cup, Kheir pointed to one key change that he hopes can unlock the horse’s potential.

“Look, his biggest issue was that he got really colty but we’ve had him gelded, so hopefully that makes him a bit calmer, which in a Melbourne Cup will be the key.”

Racing analyst Andrew Hawkins tempered expectations of O’Brien getting his entire contingent to Australia but believes even five or six runners would be a major boost for the Cup.

“Look, I don’t think he’ll get all 10 down here, but even if he gets five or six it’ll be great for the race and they’re all genuine chances as well,” Hawkins said on Giddy Up.

“I think Trustyourinstinct will be the hardest to beat if he gets there. He has a nice turn of foot and his win in the Curragh Cup was great.”

With around six horses already qualified and several others potentially needing to secure their place through races such as the Geelong Cup or Moonee Valley Cup, O’Brien could have one of the strongest European contingents targeting the 2026 Melbourne Cup.

Even if the Irish trainer falls short of his potential 10 or 11-runner haul, Hawkins believes five or six genuine chances could still make a major impact on Australia's biggest race.

And should O’Brien somehow manage to get 10 or 11 runners into the field, he won’t just be targeting the Cup, he’ll be rewriting the record books in the process.