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Father and son trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy cemented their place in the Australian racing history books taking out the 149th edition of the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) with the race favourite, Half Yours, saluting for the punters in a career best performance.
In front of a packed Caulfield crowd, the progressive five-year-old delivered a brilliant staying performance to dominate the 2025 Caulfield Cup results, confirming his status as Australia’s top spring stayer and stamping his ticket to the Group 1 $10 million Melbourne Cup (3200m) at Flemington on November 4.
The emerging St Jean gelding, purchased for just $305,000 at an online sale last November, has quickly risen through the ranks since moving the McEvoy yard at the start of the year and was dominant with a favourable light weight winning the time-honoured classic and opening leg of the Spring Cups double just his 15th start.
“This is why we do it, to have a runner in these, and they’re bloody hard to win, and that was incredible,” Tony McEvoy told Racing Victoria.
“He’s come a long way in six months, this fellow, hasn’t he? And travelling really grows horses up, and he was a big raw horse.
“The way he came into the paddock today, he looked like he’d arrived as a stayer. And then he went and did that today, so it was very exciting.”
Jockey Jamie Melham timed her winning Caulfield Cup ride to perfection, saving early ground before Half Yours ($2.50F) unleashed a sharp turn of foot at the 300m mark responding with authority to put the race to bed inside the final furlong.
“I was so happy in the run, and then when mid-race that horse took off, I thought this is not ideal, because if someone panics, it dishevels everything,” McEvoy admitted.
“But then he got into his rhythm and did the rest. It was fabulous, and I’m looking forward to watching it again.”
Trainer Chris Waller filled the minors at big odds with the autumn’s Sydney Cup third placed mare River Of Stars ($91) crossing a half-length second and his Group 3 The Bart Cummings winner Valiant King ($26) a length further back to complete the Caulfield Cup trifecta.
Fourth went to French raider Presage Nocturne ($61) who ran the perfect Melbourne Cup trial with improvement to come up to 3200m on the first Tuesday of November.
Presenting as the fit horse in the 18-starter field having run every month since March, Half Yours came in with strong form lines and proved his star status in the mile and a half classic.
He was enormous two back taking out the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes at the Caulfield track and went on to join Jameka (2016) as one of just two gallopers to complete the Naturalism Stakes – Caulfield Cup double in the past 31 years.
Between his Group 3 and Group 1 Caulfield victories was a very brave fourth to Sir Delius, ruled out this week of both the Cox Plate and Melbourne Cup on vet’s advice, in the Turnbull Stakes.
He franked that form in the Caulfield Cup relishing a drop right back to just 52.5kg and getting all the favours from barrier two.
Early, Melham allowed the punters’ pick to settle worse than midfield one of the fence as Adelaide River rolled forward to take up front running.
With 1200m left to travel, Adelaide River led a strung-out field off by seven lengths on the next closest in running trying to steal the show setting a pace few predicted.
He came back to them by the turn for home however and was gone on the straight as the backmarkers made their moves.
Half Yours chimed in late and once asked, he was off like a rocket drawing well clear to become the first Caulfield Cup favourite to win since Incentivise in 2021.
“We actually got further back than what we thought we would,” Calvin McEvoy said.
“No one expected that tempo from Adelaide River. The sun was in my eyes; I didn’t know where we were for half of it, but he’s a great horse.
“He’s a really good horse, and good horses do great things.”
Melham was quick to credit the work done by the trainers describing Half Yours as an “absolute professional”.
“Everything was perfect; it worked out perfectly for him and he had to dig deep and he’s an absolute superstar horse,” she said.
“What Tony and Calvin have done with him, they’ve just made this absolute professional of a horse.”
Without A Fight (2023) was the last stayer to complete the coveted Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double in the same year.
Half Yours has now firmed into outright $5 favouritism in the latest all-in Melbourne Cup odds at Ladbrokes.com.au to be the next.
Once a $101 longshot for the Melbourne Cup, the huge run for third by Valiant King has skyrocketed the Waller import right up the markets into $11 with jockey Jye McNeil excitedly looking ahead to the two-mile feature race.
“The barrier’s probably cost him winning to be honest,” he said.
“Absolute epic run for a Melbourne Cup.”
Presage Nocturne has also firmed notably in Melbourne Cup betting in from $34 to $13 off his eye-catching fourth.
“He finished good because he hadn’t run since four months (ago). It was good preparation for the Melbourne Cup,” his jockey Stephane Pasquier said.
Caulfield Cup 2025 Results
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1st
15. Half Yours (2)
J: Jamie Melham 52.5kg
T: Tony & Calvin McEvoy |
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2nd
13. River Of Stars (4)
J: Beau Mertens 53.5kg
T: Chris Waller |
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3rd
17. Valiant King (16)
J: Jye McNeil 52kg
T: Chris Waller |
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4th
2. Presage Nocturne (8)
J: Stephane Pasquier 57.5kg
T: Alessandro Botti |
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5th
16. Royal Supremacy (6)
J: Robbie Dolan 52.5kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
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6th
14. Birdman (10)
J: Teo Nugent 52.5kg
T: Chris Waller |
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7th
5. Absurde (1)
J: Ben Allen 55.5kg
T: Willie Mullins |
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8th
10. Deakin (7)
J: Daniel Stackhouse 54kg
T: Phillip Stokes |
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9th
4. Meydaan (5)
J: Andrea Atzeni 56kg
T: Simon & Ed Crisford |
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10th
7. Zardozi (11)
J: Harry Coffey 54.5kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
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11th
3. Middle Earth (3)
J: Mark Zahra 56.5kg
T: Ciaron Maher |
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12th
8. Adelaide River (9)
J: Jordan Childs 54kg
T: Kris Lees |
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13th
1. Vauban (13)
J: Blake Shinn 58.5kg
T: Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott |
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14th
11. Golden Snap (18)
J: S Hamanaka 53.5kg
T: Katsunori Tanaka |
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15th
18. Plymouth (17)
J: Celine Gaudray 51kg
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
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16th
9. Bankers Choice (14)
J: Billy Egan 54kg
T: Ben, Will & Jd Hayes |
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17th
12. Revelare (12)
J: Luke Currie 53.5kg
T: Robert Hickmott |
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18th
6. Land Legend (15)
J: Jamie Mott 55.5kg
T: Chris Waller |
CHANCES ARE YOU’RE ABOUT TO LOSE.
For free and confidential support call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
