Considering Sheza Alibi’s dominant victory by nearly three lengths as the $1.60 favourite in Saturday’s Makybe Diva Stakes at Flemington, none of the beaten runners viewed the Group 1 event as a missed opportunity.
However, satisfaction levels varied among the also-rans, with the Half Yours team expressing particular delight.
Last year’s Melbourne Cup winner finished sixth, 4.65 lengths behind Sheza Alibi. Post-race, the gelding’s jockey, Jamie Melham, conveyed her enthusiasm.
“Very happy, (I) couldn’t fault him,” she said. “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.”
Tony McEvoy, who trains Half Yours in partnership with his son Calvin, supported Melham’s assessment, highlighting the gelding’s strong finish as a positive sign for future performances.
The six-year-old recorded the third-fastest final 800m (45secs), 600m (33.17), and 400m (22.14) of the race, trailing only Sheza Alibi and the second-place finisher Autumn Boy. He finished merely three-quarters-of-a-length behind the esteemed weight-for-age performer 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 contest the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes (2000m) on October 3, a race where he finished fourth last year, before lining up for the $6 million Cox Plate (2040m) three weeks later.
This will be his final outing before he attempts to defend his Melbourne Cup title, and the weight he will carry in the November 3 event will be confirmed on Thursday.
Racing Victoria handicapper David Heagan is expected to assign the defending champion a topweight of 59kg, a significant increase from the 53kg he carried to victory last year. Nevertheless, McEvoy confirmed that the Makybe Diva Stakes run had reassured 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.
Compare the latest racing odds from leading online bookmakers and get ready for the next big race.