Last year’s Melbourne Cup champion, Half Yours, is slated to commence its title defence in the Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained stayer has the upcoming Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 3 firmly in its sights once more.
Jamie Melham, who achieved the historic Caulfield and Melbourne Cup double as the first female jockey to do so, will be aboard the stayer for its first-up engagement over 1600 metres under weight-for-age conditions this Saturday.
Some commentators expressed doubts about Half Yours’s previous campaign, which began first-up in Sydney before a three-race stint in Queensland. The gelding’s last outing was a fourth-place finish in the Q22 (2200m) at Eagle Farm in June.
Following its racing commitments, Half Yours enjoyed a spell in Queensland before returning to the McEvoy stable at Flemington early last month to prepare for its comeback.
With two jump-outs at Flemington under its belt, Half Yours appears ready for its return. Tony McEvoy noted that while the most recent trial, where the gelding finished fourth over 1000 metres, might have seemed disappointing visually, the team was pleased with the outcome.
“I was really happy with his trial,” McEvoy stated.
“If you put him in a 1000-metre race, he would get completely run off his legs and they ran it like a race.
“It wasn’t like a normal trial and he got chasing.
“They were also trials at Flemington where they finish on a bend, so it’s very hard for horses to make ground on a bend.
“Whilst it didn’t look impressive, I thought he moved well, trialled nicely and the horse is telling us he’s going very well while his coat is coming better by the day.
“All the data that we collate on him is normal.
“He certainly hasn’t gone backwards.”
After its Saturday debut, Half Yours is anticipated to compete in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) at Flemington on October 3, a race in which it secured fourth place last year before going on to win the Caulfield Cup.
The Group 1 Cox Plate, which will be held at Flemington this year, will serve as the final preparation race for Half Yours before its Melbourne Cup bid.
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