Father and son trainers Tony & Calvin McEvoy cemented their place in Australian racing history, taking out the 149th edition of the Group 1 $5 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) with the popular race favourite, Half Yours, delivering a career-best performance for the punters.

2025 Caulfield Cup winner Half Yours was too good for his rivals saluting for the punters. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

In front of a packed Caulfield crowd, the progressive five-year-old St Jean gelding—a $305,000 online sale purchase last November—delivered a brilliant staying effort to confirm his status as Australia’s top spring stayer and stamp his ticket to the Group 1 $10 million Melbourne Cup at Flemington on November 4.

Half Yours conquered the opening leg of the Spring Cups double in just his 15th career start with a favourable light weight of 52.5kg.

Tony McEvoy was thrilled with the journey.

“This is why we do it, to have a runner in these, and they’re bloody hard to win, and that was incredible,” he 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 executed a winning Caulfield Cup ride to perfection.

Settling worse than midfield one off the fence as Adelaide River set a blistering pace, out to a seven-length lead with 1200m left to travel, Half Yours ($2.50F) saved ground before unleashing a sharp turn of foot at the 300m mark to put the race beyond doubt inside the final furlong.

Calvin McEvoy acknowledged the frantic mid-race dynamics.

“We actually got further back than what we thought we would,” he 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 trainers, describing her mount 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.”

The Placed Outsiders and Historical Double

Half Yours is the first Caulfield Cup favourite to salute since Incentivise in 2021.

He also came into the classic having taken out the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes, joining Jameka (2016) as one of just two gallopers to complete the Naturalism Stakes – Caulfield Cup double in the past 31 years.

His final key lead-up was a very brave fourth behind the now-sidelined Sir Delius in the Turnbull Stakes.

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 trifecta.

Fourth went to French raider Presage Nocturne ($61).

Melbourne Cup Market Shake-up

Half Yours now firmed into outright $5 favouritism in the latest all-in Melbourne Cup odds at Ladbrokes to emulate Without A Fight (2023) and complete the coveted Caulfield Cup – Melbourne Cup double.

Valiant King, once a $101 longshot, has skyrocketed into $11, with jockey Jye McNeil ecstatic over his Caulfield Cup performance from a bad alley.

“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, coming 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.

2025 Caulfield Cup Results

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