Matthew Hill calls the 2026 Melbourne Cup on 9Now and the World Feed, with Eddie McGuire hosting from Flemington

The 2026 Melbourne Cup, part of the Australian horse racing program on today's date, 2 November 2026, is being called by Matthew Hill and broadcast across a wide range of channels from around 23:45 UK time. Australia's primary feed runs on 9Now (Channel 9 Australia), where the broadcast is hosted by Eddie McGuire with James Bracey providing co-presence from the action. The World Feed, which also fronts Fox Sports 2 (US), Sky Sports Racing and TVNZ 1, shares the same main commentary from Matthew Hill, giving British and global viewers alike a single authoritative voice tracking the day's racing from start to finish.

For those following along, the Australian broadcast on 9Now is fronted by Eddie McGuire, who hosts from a studio at Flemington, with James Bracey picking up the field roles from the mounting yard. ABC Sport offers a parallel program of its own, presented by Quentin Hull and called by the same Matthew Hill, while a further program on LiSTNR and Triple M is presented by Bruce McAvaney with Michael Felgate as co-presenter and once again brought to the track by Matthew Hill.

The commentary and who is calling the racing

At the heart of every program today is Matthew Hill, the Australian race caller and sports broadcaster who has drawn on a substantial career across the major international competitions. Hill has commentated numerous Olympics and the Australian Open, called the Melbourne Cup since 2017, and previously served as chief race caller in Sydney. He rose to the challenge of the BBC World Service from 2004 to 2009, covering the drama of the Grand National as it unfolded across the finish line, and in 2018 served as lead commentator of a four-man team calling the horses across that famous line. His prominence has grown steadily since, with many viewing today's World Feed call as a natural extension of that legacy.

Alongside the commentary, a range of analysts and pundits are providing form-by-form insight. On the 9Now program, Francesca Cumani returns to Melbourne as a British-based racing expert to provide analysis throughout the carnival, working alongside form analysts David Gately and, elsewhere, Grace Ramage. Francesca Cumani has been active throughout the carnival, offering tips on how to spot a winning horse as punters brave a rainy day at Flemington. The ABC Sport program adds Clare Lindop to the mix, while LiSTNR and Triple M bring in Glen Boss.

The field, reporters and on-course roles

The broadcast is supported by a large team of field personnel and reporters. The mounting yard on 9Now sees James Bracey joined by the global racing authority Francesca Cumani, while former trackwork rider Billy Slater takes up an on-course role, interviewing the winning jockeys on horseback. The field also includes Tony Jones, Jelena Dokic, Scherri-Lee Biggs, Felix von Hofe, Michael Atkinson, Renee Bargh and Izabella Staskowski, each contributing to the coverage across the day's races. The ABC Sport program adds Matt Clinch to its roster of reporters.

For background on the headline commentary, Matt Hill's career and broadcast history are documented at Matt Hill (race caller) on Wikipedia, and the 9Now field line-up for the 2026 Melbourne Cup is described in the Mediaweek report on the hosting and analyst team.

Article generated: 2 November 2026, 23:48 GMT