Can AI pick the Melbourne Cup Winner?

Regretfully, my good friend and protégé Lew Dub who joined us in 2025 has sent me the following email:

"Hi Max, Regretfully I write to inform you that I will not be able to continue as your protégé at PickTheCupWinner.com.au. I must say, I did not realise how much work you do all year round to achieve the results you have achieved.

But the real problem came when I realised that being the father of four girls all under the age of 10 meant I was neglecting precious time with them. I’m sorry to step aside, particularly as I have really enjoyed “meeting” your band of followers by email. They are an amazing group of people.

My sincere thanks to you Max… and to all the followers. Lew Dub."

****

So, the bad news is Lew has left the team. But the good news is I’d like to introduce you to my new research assistant…AMI. (Pronounced Ahh-Mee.)

AMI is my Artificial Intelligence racing research assistant, who will help me analyse form, trends, and statistics as we explore the 2026 Melbourne Cup together. And I invite you to join us.

The 2026 Experiment

This year I’m conducting a simple experiment: Can Artificial Intelligence pick the winner of the Melbourne Cup? I invite you to be a part of the experiment. Participation will cost you nothing. It’s completely FREE. If you already receive my emails you don't have to do anything.

Why am I doing this?

Many of you know that I’ve always been fascinated by new technology. in 1994, three friends and I began monthly Internet learning sessions with Internet Guru Craig Rispin. Those sessions continued for twenty years!

In 1995, when the Internet was still a mystery to most people, I met with the management of the Victoria Racing Club and tried (unsuccessfully!) to introduce them to this strange new thing called the Internet. When my approach failed, I went ahead and registered the domain name: MelbourneCup.com.au Seven years later… the VRC bought the name from me!

Then, another 'moment in time' happened.

ChatGPT launched on 30 November 2022. Soon after my good friend Peter Thorpe said to me: "Max, remember when you said in 1995 that the Internet was going to be a BIG thing? Well… I think Artificial Intelligence is going to be even BIGGER."So when Peter started a monthly AI Creative and Fun Group I joined immediately.

History tells us some people are negative about 'new things'...like Artificial Intelligence. But history also tells us about 'new things' like the aeroplane. When aeeroplanes began carrying passengers and mail in the 1920s and 1930s, railway companies were strident critics, as were shipping companies. They complained about potential job losses. Today, statistics tell us approximately 350 million people worldwide depend on travel and tourism.That means about 1 in every 10 jobs on Earth is connected to travel.

And, if you have been using an iPhone since 2007, you have probably used it in your car to navigate, find restaurants, pubs or churches, or even buy something online. All the time Artificial Intelligence has been quietly working in the background to help you.

So, can AMI pick AMI find the winner of the Melbourne Cup for us? Who knows? Hence the experiment!

The Plan for 2026

Here’s how this experiment will work.
• My goal remains the same as it has always been: To select six horses on Melbourne Cup morning and suggest an each-way bet on each. Hopefully one of them wins.

• This year there will be no annual eBook.

• Instead, I’ll send occasional updates during the year as AMI and I analyse races, trends, and statistics.

• I’ll also share interesting AI discoveries with you along the way.
For example…
All the graphics in this email were created by ChatGPT.
Each image took about one minute to generate.
Want to Try It Yourself?
If you’d like to experiment, go to:
ChatGPT.com
Then ask it something like:
"Please teach me how to create images like Melbourne Cup Max does — and create a cartoon of me winning the Melbourne Cup sweep."
If you get a fun result, send it to me! max@hitchins.com.au.

Earlier this year I set myself a goal to create exceptional Melbourne Cup AI cartoons. Perhaps AI might help you with one of your goals too?

Cup Of Coffee bets

Our Cup Of Coffee bet system has been very successful in the past. For those unfamiliar with the system, during the year, we attempt to identify promising horses at long prices in the Melbourne Cup. As well as involving AMI in this task I’m also delighted to tell you that my remarkable long-time researcher Jamal from Western Australia is still part of the team (as he has been for 10 years). Jamal, AMI and I will continue searching for “Cup of Coffee” bets throughout the year.

If you have any questions, queries or quandaries, you can contact us at: info@pickthecupwinner.com.au

A favour?

May I ask a favour of you.