Half Yours has been hit with a 2kg penalty for the Melbourne Cup following his brilliant win in the Caulfield Cup, taking his weight to 53kg for next month’s 3200m feature at Flemington.

Racing Victoria’s head of handicapping, David Hegan, confirmed on Monday that the Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer would carry the additional weight after his breakout performance last Saturday. Half Yours carried 52.5kg in the Caulfield Cup, which already included a 1.5kg penalty for his earlier Group 3 Naturalism Stakes victory.

“With the different weight scales this year between the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups, he remained on the limit weight for the Melbourne Cup going into Saturday’s race,” Hegan said. “The 2kg penalty lifts Half Yours off the limit to 53kg and importantly provides some relief to those horses he defeated.”

Hegan explained that the beaten brigade would meet Half Yours between 1.5kg and 2.5kg better in the Melbourne Cup, giving them an opportunity to close the gap. The 2kg penalty mirrors that given to previous Caulfield Cup winners such as Durston, All The Good, Tawqeet, and Railings.

“It’s a fair adjustment for a horse who, like Durston in 2022, has a similar profile — winning off a light weight in the Caulfield Cup and posting three wins from his past four black-type runs,” Hegan added.

Half Yours’ Caulfield Cup win — his seventh from just 14 starts — also earned him a ballot exemption and propelled him to the top of the Melbourne Cup order of entry. The son of St Jean now leads Melbourne Cup betting at $3.50, ahead of topweight Al Riffa ($6) who will carry 59kg.

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