Sliding doors moment wins Cups double

Half Yours is a dual Cups winner after a pivotal change of plans mid-campaign.

Racing is often full of twists and turns, and a sliding doors moment gave Jamie Melham her Caulfield and Melbourne Cups double. 

The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained Half Yours provided Melham with her pair of Cup victories, but it could easily have been NSW-based jockey, Ashley Morgan, who could have been the beneficiary. 

Morgan rode Half Yours to victory in the Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast in July and partnered the gelding in his outing at Rosehill the following month. 

But Morgan had a commitment to Private Harry who he was going to ride in The Everest at Randwick on Caulfield Cup Day which led the McEvoy's to search for another rider. 

Tony McEvoy said Harry Coffey was offered the ride but had to turn it down. 

"Ash Morgan was riding the horse beautifully and we would have been happy to keep Ash on the horse, but he was committed to The Everest ride at that stage which was Caulfield Cup Day," McEvoy said. 

"So, we had to make some different plans. We went to Harry, but he had a committed, so then we went to Jamie. 

"Ash then got taken off his Everest horse. It's incredible how things turned out." 

Another sliding doors moment occurred when Half Yours was an acceptor for three races on September 20, two in Sydney and one in Melbourne. 

Half Yours was being aimed at The Metropolitan at Randwick on October 4 and needed to run at Rosehill two weeks prior but was third emergency for the race the McEvoy's preferred. 

McEvoy senior was keen to remain in Sydney, but Calvin and racing manager Rayan Moore read the play and put in a nomination for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield that same day. 

First emergency at Caulfield, Half Yours was more of a chance to gain a run in Melbourne, so the decision was made to float him down to their Flemington base. 

"It was a good decision by Calvin and Rayan," McEvoy said. 

"I didn't want to travel him too much more. I wanted to leave him in Sydney and the race we had him in looked the perfect race. 

"I couldn't foresee that he would be third emergency, but the boys could see it and said that we should accept in the Naturalism as well. 

"I'm glad we did. He was first emergency in Melbourne, he gained a run, so we brought him down and he ended up winning at Caulfield." 

That victory assured Half Yours a start in the Caulfield Cup which he went on to win two starts later, then he backed it up to claim success in Tuesday's Melbourne Cup at Flemington. 

McEvoy said international travel could be on the cards for Half Yours who had recovered in excellent order after Tuesday's win that he could back up again on Saturday if there had been a suitable race but instead will go for a well-earned break. 

"After we won the Caulfield Cup, the horse got invited to the Japan Cup, but he was too deep into his prep to travel overseas," McEvoy said. 

"Who is to say, the way this horse stayed the two miles, he could run at Ascot in the Gold Cup, and if he was to run in the Cox Plate next year, maybe then he could go to the Japan Cup. 

"He could take us on a great journey and what he has shown us this year is he loves travelling. 

"The world is his oyster depending on where we want to take him." 

McEvoy said the preparation Half Yours had undertaken, racing every month since March through to the Cup, showed how training methods had changed. 

"We can never believe how these horses from overseas can come here and run first-up and second-up in our great race," McEvoy said. 

"Traditionally the Bart Cummings', the Tommy Smiths' and the Colin Hayes', you would bring your horses in on the June 1 to have them run in the Melbourne Cup in November. 

"Now, all these horses are racing in June and then in the Melbourne Cup. 

"I think it will change our landscape and what I hope it will do is get us back trying to support the breeding industry to start breeding our own stayers again instead of putting money in pockets overseas."