Highwayman and rest of O’Brien team given Melbourne weights

Historic St Leger winner Highwayman has been allotted 56.5kg (8st 13lb) in the Melbourne Cup on November 3.

One of 11 entries for Joseph O’Brien, Highwayman continued his rapid progression this season when Saffie Osborne became the first woman to ride the winner of a British Classic.

Other notable possibles for the trainer, who has won Australia’s biggest race twice already, with Rekindling and Twilight Payment, include Sons And Lovers, who has 57.5kg (9st 1lb), Goodie Two Shoes (55kg/8st 9lb) and Defiantly (56.5kg/8st 13lb).

Last year’s winner Half Yours, who was ridden to victory by Jamie Melham, is top-weight on 59kg (9st 4lb) in his search for an extremely rare double.

Due to new conditions introduced last year the top-weight must have at least 59kg when the weights are released.

Joint-trainer Tony McEvoy said: “I think it was pretty clear a little way out that we were going to get this weight. David Hegan (Racing Victoria handicapper) really hasn’t had anywhere to turn, has he, with the new conditions of the race.

“We’ll run the horse. He is a big strong fellow. The thing we haven’t learned about this horse is some horses can really carry weight and it’s whether he can.”

Hegan told www.racingvictoria.com: “From an international viewpoint, Sons And Lovers has proven his staying power with Group Two wins at 2800m (one-mile-six) and 3000m (one-mile-seven) and he also shouldered 63.5kg (10st) at his most recent start when running a slashing second over 2414m (a mile and a half) at Leopardstown.

“One of the more interesting runners to handicap was Highwayman who capped a meteoric rise with a dominant win in the Group One English St Leger. In doing so he achieved the same rating as Jan Brueghel in 2024 and has effectively been given the same weight under the relative scale at 56.5kg.”