Racing is full of twists and turns, and a sliding doors moment was all that separated Jamie Melham from missing out on her historic Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup double.

Half Yours, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, delivered Melham both victories — but it could just as easily have been NSW-based jockey Ashley Morgan who reaped the rewards.

Morgan partnered Half Yours to victory in the Caloundra Cup in July and again at Rosehill a month later. But he had locked in a booking to ride Private Harry in The Everest on the same day as the Caulfield Cup, forcing the McEvoys to go searching.

“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,” Tony McEvoy said.

“We went to Harry Coffey next, but he was booked too — so then we went to Jamie. Ash then got taken off his Everest horse. It’s incredible how things turned out.”

Another major turning point came on September 20, when Half Yours was accepted for three possible races — two in Sydney and one in Melbourne.

McEvoy initially wanted to remain in Sydney to prepare for the The Metropolitan, but with Half Yours only third emergency, racing manager Rayan Moore and Calvin McEvoy pushed to accept for the Naturalism Stakes (2000m) at Caulfield instead.

“I didn’t want to travel him again, but the boys could see the pattern and said we should accept in the Naturalism as well,” McEvoy said.

“I’m glad we did. He got a run as first emergency and won — and that’s what got him into the Caulfield Cup.”

Half Yours went on to win that race — and carried the form straight into his unforgettable Melbourne Cup victory.

Now, McEvoy says the next step may well be international.

“He was invited to the Japan Cup after the Caulfield Cup, but he was too deep into his prep,” McEvoy said.

“The way he stayed the two miles, he could run at Ascot in the Gold Cup, and if he goes to the Cox Plate next year, he could even go to Japan after that.

“He loves travelling — the world is his oyster.”

McEvoy hopes Half Yours’ rise inspires confidence in Australian staying bloodlines once again.

“Traditionally you brought your Cup horses in on June 1 to peak in November,” he said.

“Now we’re seeing horses race through winter and still perform in the Cup. I hope it prompts people to support Australian-bred stayers again instead of always buying from overseas.”

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