Tony and Calvin McEvoy will be represented in this year’s Caulfield Cup after Half Yours earned his spot with a commanding win at Caulfield.

The gelding booked his ticket into the feature by claiming Saturday’s Group 3 Naturalism Stakes (2000m), his 3-½ length romp under Jamie Melham securing him a coveted ballot exemption for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 18.

Half Yours ($2.60 fav) was dominant, with Berkshire Breeze ($12) finishing second and Grand Pierro ($71) just a head away in third.

Originally set to contest the Group 1 The Metropolitan in Sydney, Half Yours was at risk of missing the field as an emergency. The McEvoys instead made the late call to head south, a decision that paid off handsomely.

“That was the big question through the week,” Calvin McEvoy explained. “Dad and I, we tossed up what to do. He was in Sydney, as we always had planned to run him in Kingston Town and at the last minute decided to accept here. We always knew that if he came down here to Melbourne and won, he’d probably stay here. Look, he’s in the Caulfield Cup now, he’s proven on a good track, so I think we’ll be all systems go to the Caulfield Cup.”

Half Yours was acquired via Inglis Digital on the advice of racing manager Rayan Moore, and McEvoy credited the Maher stable for their early handling of the horse. “We loved the profile, he had a good rating, and we really wanted to get him,” he said. “We didn’t think we’d have to spend the money we did but thank God we did. Ever since we’ve had him, he’s been straightforward, been a lovely horse to train, and we haven’t got to his ceiling yet.”

The gelding had wintered in Queensland where he took out the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) before returning south. McEvoy believes he is ready for the 2400m test of the Cup. “Another run (before the Cup) won’t do him any harm. I feel like he could go straight to a mile-and-a-half now no problem. We’ll get through today and weigh it up, but it’s bloody exciting for the whole team.”