If things had unfolded differently, Half Yours might have been contesting a Group 1 staying event in Sydney instead of heading to Flemington this weekend.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer was initially set for The Metropolitan (2400m) at Randwick, but those plans were derailed when he was listed as an emergency for the Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) on September 20.
Fortunately, the stable had also accepted for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield the same day, and by winning that Group 3, Half Yours not only secured victory but also a ballot exemption for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup (2400m), for which he is now favourite.
As a final tune-up, Half Yours will contest the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on Saturday.
“We were on the cusp of both the Kingston Town and the Naturalism and having a lowish rated horse going into the spring, we thought he would be fine going on previous years, but there must be a little more depth this year,” Calvin McEvoy said.
“It was a relief when we made the call to come to Melbourne and got into the race as he needed to win that race to get into the Caulfield Cup. We were confident that he could do it and it was nice to see him do it.”
Half Yours faces his toughest challenge yet, but McEvoy believes barrier four gives jockey Jamie Mott the chance to secure a soft run. That said, the team is realistic.
“We’ve got the favourite for the Cox Plate, the favourite for the Melbourne Cup, the best 2000-metre weight-for-age horse in the country, so I’m looking forward to seeing how he runs against them,” McEvoy said. “I think he will run really well. We don’t expect him to win, but in previous years, Naturalism winners have run well in Turnbull’s, but there hasn’t been Turnbull’s like this.”
“He’s very sound, he’s very well, and he needs to run because he is so well. I just hope he runs well and hits the line. That’s what we want to see.”
The stable considered bypassing the Turnbull and heading straight into the Caulfield Cup, but history suggested otherwise. Last year’s Cup winner Duke De Sessa ran fourth in the Turnbull, while stars Verry Elleegant (2020) and Incentivise (2021) completed the double.
“My heart says it would have been fine for him, but we just thought that if we got there on the day, a month between runs, a big high-pressure contest being third up, it was a bit of a risk,” McEvoy said. “The history of the Turnbull and how it works with the Caulfield Cup is why we elected to run.”
For those looking to bet on the Turnbull Stakes or the upcoming Caulfield Cup, markets and offers are available at Australia’s top betting sites and leading online bookmakers.