The decision to keep bidding at the Inglis Digital Sale last November has proven one of the most important the McEvoy stable has ever made.

Half Yours, purchased for $305,000 from the dispersal of the late Colin McKenna’s breeding stock, delivered the father-and-son trainers a career-defining triumph in Tuesday’s $10 million Melbourne Cup.

The St Jean gelding, the lone Australian-bred horse in the field, joined an exclusive club when he completed the Caulfield Cup–Melbourne Cup double.

“I thought we were bidding enough, but the boys wanted him,” Tony McEvoy said.

“We didn’t have an owner — we just bought him because we believed in him. And what a result.”

Since joining the stable, Half Yours has climbed swiftly from benchmark races to Group 1 glory.

He first signaled his staying talent in the Caloundra Cup, winning by daylight, before returning south to win the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes.

His fourth in the Turnbull Stakes confirmed he was on the right trajectory.

He is now an eight-time winner from just 15 starts with over $9 million in earnings.

The McEvoys also admired the horse thanks to the breeding approach taken by Colin and Janice McKenna, who they say never rushed their young horses.

“We basically inherited an untapped horse who’d developed at his own pace,” Calvin said.

“That makes all the difference at this level.”

If you’re having a flutter this spring, compare odds via the Australian betting sites list.