McEvoy & McEvoy – Training Partnership
Premier trainer Tony McEvoy announced at the 2018-2019 South Australian Awards night on Saturday, August 31, that he was forming a training partnership with his son Calvin.
McEvoy said he felt the time was right to promote his 24-year-old son.
“As a father, I’m excited and proud to have Calvin join me as a co-trainer,” McEvoy said.
“Even before he completed Year 12, Cal indicated he wanted to follow me into training and his work ethic deserves to be rewarded.”
McEvoy surprised his son at the Awards night by inviting him to the stage and announcing the training partnership decision.
“When Calvin came full time into the McEvoy Mitchell training operation in 2016, I set ground rules which he has complied with and he has never missed a day’s work or been late.
“His mother (Jo) often said I was too hard on him, but he never complained.
“I have tried to teach him the little one-percenters which separates trainers.
“Let the animals tell you and he has picked that up and has given me smart advice with his decisions.
“Calvin has been running the Adelaide operation for a while now and will eventually be in charge of the Ballarat stable when it is up and running within a year.”
McEvoy said he had also been impressed with his son’s confidence.
“He’s got an opinion, and he’s happy to back himself.
“It has led to the occasional heated family discussion, but I believe it is important for him to have confidence in his own observations.”
The younger McEvoy has had a wonderful grounding to learn the art of training.
Calvin completed Year 12 at Faith Lutheran College in Tanunda in 2012 but in his final school years spent the weekends working for his father at the Kildalton Park stables in Angaston where he completed a project on the art of training racehorses.
Completing school, he went to work for David Hayes for six months in 2013 at the Lindsay Park operation at Euroa in Victoria before heading to the Hunter Valley where he helped prepare three crops of yearlings for Coolmore Stud.
Calvin returned to work for his father when McEvoy Mitchell had a stable based at Hawkesbury before heading to England in March 2015 for 16 months where he was Pupil Assistant to top United Kingdom trainer David Simcock. Apart from working with the horses in the stable, he also had the job of saddling up at a number of meetings.
McEvoy returned to Kildalton Park, Angaston in July 2016 to reunite with his father and has quickly built his profile within the operation.
“Calvin has worked hard, his attention to detail is excellent and I’m delighted to have him join me in a training partnership,” Tony McEvoy said.
The paperwork will be completed this week and it is hoped the partnership will be operational in early September.