While Sheza Alibi comfortably secured victory by nearly three lengths as the $1.60 favourite in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington on Saturday, the beaten contenders did not view the Group 1 race as a lost opportunity.
However, there were varying levels of satisfaction among the placings, and few were as delighted as the connections of Half Yours.
Last year’s Melbourne Cup champion finished sixth, 4.65 lengths adrift of Sheza Alibi. Despite the placing, the gelding’s jockey Jamie Melham was enthusiastic following the race.
“Very happy, (I) couldn’t fault him,” she stated. “He’s very forward this time and I think next start you’ll see and a big improvement in him. He’s not (going to be) needing the run next start.”
Melham’s confidence was echoed by trainer Tony McEvoy, who prepares Half Yours in partnership with his son Calvin. He highlighted the gelding’s strong finish as a key indicator of future success.
The six-year-old recorded the third-fastest final 800m (45secs), 600m (33.17), and 400m (22.14) of the event, trailing only Sheza Alibi and the runner-up Autumn Boy. This effort placed him just three-quarters-of-a-length behind the weight-for-age standout Sir Delius.
“They left him flat (footed) when they sprinted, which you’d expect, but then I loved the way he round the race out,” McEvoy commented. “I mean, you’ve got the Cox Plate favourite there, Sir Delius, and I reckon we nearly took two lengths off him in the last 100 metres. I think the horse has run superbly.”
Half Yours is now set to compete in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on October 3, a race where he finished fourth last year, followed by an appearance in the $6 million Cox Plate (2040m) three weeks later.
This will be his final outing before he aims to defend his Melbourne Cup title, with the weight he will carry in the November 3 event to be announced on Thursday.
The defending champion is anticipated to be assigned 59kg by Racing Victoria handicapper David Heagan, presenting a more challenging task compared to last year’s win under 53kg. Nevertheless, McEvoy indicated that the Makybe Diva Stakes performance assured him that fitness would not be a concern.
“He’s going to be only four runs into a Melbourne Cup and it’s a tough race the Melbourne Cup (over) two miles, they’ve got to be really fit and he will be,” he concluded.
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