Mad Hatter (AUS)

Sometimes a stallion comes along and leaves all too quickly, leaving us wondering if things could have turned out very differently.

The Australian breeding industry was in the spotlight at Flemington yesterday as Half Yours — bred by Janice and the late Colin McKenna — stormed to victory in the 165th running of the $10 million Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200 m) under a superbly judged ride from Jamie Melham.