Half Yours outstanding

Exciting stayer Half Yours clinched a start in the $5 million Caulfield Cup with a brilliant win at the track on Saturday, September 20.

Trained by Tony & Calvin McEvoy, Half Yours was given a perfect ride by Jamie Melham to race away for victory in the Group 3 Tobin Brothers Naturalism Stakes (2000m).

The win guarantees the five-year-old a start in the Caulfield Cup (2400m) on Saturday, October 18 and he has now been elevated into $5.50 equal favourite for the Group 1 feature.

The gelding was an acceptor at Randwick on Saturday, but the trainers opted to bring him back to Melbourne for the Naturalism Stakes.

Melham had Half Yours away nicely and settled on the fence just behind the leaders.

She was able to take a run outside the leader soon after straightening and Half Yours ($2.60 fav) raced away to win by 3-1/2 lengths from Berkshire Breeze ($12) with Grand Pierro ($71) a head away third.

Winning jockey Jamie Melham said she would love to keep the ride on Half Yours.

“He is a push button ride,” Melham said.

“The only instruction from Tony (McEvoy) was to try and be as close as possible.

“Once I gave him a squeeze he put himself there. When the gap came he took it without hesitation.

“He is a very nice horse with a big, bright future.

“I found it hard to pull him up so I don’t think the 2400 (metres) will be an issue.

“I think the further the better. He falls asleep (in the run), relaxes and he probably took 100 metres to hit his top and they weren’t going to get near him after that.

“I’m looking forward to hopefully keeping the ride and stepping up over 2400 metres with him.”

Winning trainer Calvin McEvoy said Half Yours had enjoyed a break in Queensland before commencing his current campaign.

“He wintered up there before going to Sydney,” McEvoy said.

“It has been a really big team effort, and he is a horse we have loved the whole way along.

“There has been a fair hype about him and today was a big test for him and he passed in good style.”

McEvoy said Half Yours had been well handled early by the Maher team.

“He was put on the Inglis Online Digital sale and our Racing Manager Rayan Moore found him, and we loved his profile.

“He had a good rating, and we really wanted to get him but didn’t think we would have to spend the money we did – but thank God we did.

“Ever since we have had him he has been straight forward and a lovely horse to train.

“We haven’t got to his ceiling yet.

“He is in the Caulfield Cup now and handles a good track.

“He is a very fit horse, but the team will sit down next week to see what he needs to have him spot on for the Caulfield Cup.

“It is bloody exciting for the whole team.”