Growing up, jockey Jamie Melham dreamed of riding in the time-honoured Group 1 VRC Melbourne Cup (3200m), and on the first Tuesday of November at Flemington she created her own piece of history when becoming the first female jockey to win the Group 1 Caulfield Cup-Melbourne Cup double aboard Tony and Calvin McEvoy’s Half Yours.
Just the 13th horse in history to win the Cups double in the same racing season, Half Yours has come a long way in short period of time since having his first start for the McEvoy yard in a Benchmark 64 at Sandown when beaten into second place over 1400m in March this year.
Trained to the minute by father and son duo, Half Yours was the lone Australian-bred runner in the field of 24 and gave the local bred stayers back-to-back wins in the race after Knight’s Choice last year.
Having started the favourite in the Caulfield Cup, the 5yo gelding jumped away equal third favourite on Tuesday, with Caulfield Cup fourth placed Presage Nocturne (IRE) jumping away the 5/1 favourite.
From barrier 8, Melham was able to go forward and get a lovely position in about ninth position as Smokin’ Romans (NZ) took the field past the winning post on the first occasion.
As Ciaron Maher’s Group 1 Metropolitan winner Royal Supremacy (IRE) went forward to take the lead, jockey Joao Moreira aboard Chris Waller’s outsider Land Legend wasn't happy after being trapped wide, going forward to clear out by many lengths to inject some speed into the race and try and make it a true staying contest.
With 800m to run, Land Legend was eight or so lengths clear of the field with race caller Matt Hill stating that Half Yours was some 25 lengths off the leader.
When the field entered the straight, Land Legend still had the lead, but it was clear he wouldn’t be there for long as the lightly weighted Fastnet Rock mare Goodie Two Shoes (IRE) came out of the pack, looking a serious chance to give trainer Joseph O’Brien his third winner in the race.
Squeezing past the tiring Smokin’ Romans closer to the fence, Melham was starting to weave a passage aboard Half Yours while jockey Ethan Brown chasing his first Melbourne Cup success was working home strongly aboard Maher’s Middle Earth (GB).
Showing fantastic acceleration at the end of 3200m, Half Yours sprinted past Goodie Two Shoes, pulling clear for an historic victory, winning by two and three-quarter lengths.
Battling on extremely well and adding further credence to the Australian bred Fastnet Rock as a sire, Goodie Two Shoes finished in second, with Middle Earth taking third, some four and a quarter lengths from the winner, with the Caulfield Cup runner up River Of Stars (IRE) taking fourth, just under seven lengths from the winner.
In the lead up to the race, the stable had always said that the preparation was faultless and that the horse was doing everything right, and for the father and son team, it was a dream come true.
“Unbelievable. Wow, what a horse,” enthused Calvin McEvoy. “He's continued to raise the bar; I've got no words. It's been amazing, it's been such a big team effort. What an amazing horse. Unbelievable.”
Often letting Calvin take the media speaking role, Tony was just as overawed by the win.
“What a joy, what a joy,” said Tony McEvoy. “This is our great race. It's so special to win it.”
“Incredible moment. From the days we grow up, the Melbourne Cup was everything. It's been a great race for the McEvoy family, Kerrin winning it three times. My brother Phllip owned a horse that run second in it and now for me to be able to win, for us to be able to win it, it's just amazing.”
Going to $305,000 to secure the lightly raced gelding in last year’s Inglis November (Late) Online Sale, Tony was a little hesitant with the price they were paying.
“I was trying to get them to stop because I thought it was enough money. They pushed hard to keep going and we had no owner for him.
“We specked him and wow, what a good decision that was that day. The journey that he has had us on; to be able to do what we've wanted to do to get him to this race. He's a very special horse.
“If Calvin wasn't so expensive to keep, I might have kept a share myself. There is great people in him and these people are friends of ours. They are friends for life and we've won the great race, It's amazing.”
Having had a great year including getting married, Melham was clearly in shock post race.
“What just happened? Oh my god!” said Melham.
“This is what we do it for. This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4am, work our arses for the last 15 years I've been in this industry. It's tough. It's not all glorious and perfect as everyone can see sometimes.
“I've had an amazing year. Got married, had some really great days on the track but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now that I'm feeling.”
Bred by Colin McKenna who passed away earlier this year, the win was extra special for Melham.
“We've got Col up there, him and Janice bred this horse. They've done an incredible job with him, obviously.”
In what has clearly been a tough week for Melham, she kept it together under high pressure.
“I have to mention my grandpa. He died last week. The last thing he watched was the Caulfield Cup but he was such a big supporter of mine. He was up there opening those gaps for me, because I needed a few gaps opened. My mum and dad are here. They've put up with all my shit for the last 15 years.”
Having built a great relationship with Tony and Calvin, Melham was so thankful for their continual support.
“They're another incredible supporter of mine. They've been there for me since I was a 15-year-old kid and continue to this day to be there for me and support me. They deserve this so much. I just won the Melbourne Cup!"
With Michelle Payne winning the race 10 years ago, Melham became just the second female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup and first to win the Cups double.
“It's been long enough, ten years, I had to do it sooner or later, hopefully, you don't dream of this day because you think about it, you don't think you're actually going to win the Melbourne Cup, all week I've been thinking about it, been excited but no feeling can describe what I felt just then, what I'm still feeling.”
“I'm absolutely speechless. Mum and Dad have brought out the tears again, I'd just stopped crying…. this is why we do it, for days like this, to go down in history, winning the Melbourne Cup, what the hell just happened?”
When asked about the run in the race, Melham said she it played out how she wanted it.
“Perfect. You play out the race in your head twenty, thirty times how you want the race to happen.”
“I wanted to get to the rails as close as I could but we got in a nice enough spot and Ben told me, let that first wave go, that's exactly what I did, I cut through, there was a gap this big next to him and I was going to yell at him but my horse was just going too good anyway, he pulled me through the next gap, pulled me through the next gap where there was barely any room, but when a horse is going that well they just take you where you need to go.”
Purchased for $305,000 by Belmont Bloodstock Pty Ltd and McEvoy Mitchell Racing from the Halo Racing Unreserved Reduction Sale (as agent) draft via the Inglis November (Late) Online Sale after initially being trained by the Ciaron Maher stable, Half Yours took his record to eight wins and three second placed efforts from 15 starts with earnings of $9,251,840.
The first, and only stakes winner for his sire St Jean (IRE), an imported son of Darley’s Teofilo who started his career in Europe before heading to Australia followed by ending his race career in New Zealand where his highlight performance came with success in the Group 3 City of Auckland Cup, Half Yours is the final foal out of the Desert King mare La Gazelle, a half-sister to the Group 3 winner Moudre (Belvic).
Having covered small books in each of his eight seasons at Victoria’s Brackley Park, St Jean’s fee was raised to $11,000 (inc. GST) this season off the back of the success of his lone star runner.
