The McEvoy training team is facing mixed emotions this winter, with emerging stayer Half Yours delivering a standout performance just as proven Group 1 winner Veight battles a serious injury setback in Queensland.

Veight’s campaign has been interrupted after the four-year-old suffered a fractured vertebra in his neck while spelling in a Queensland paddock—an incident that surprised co-trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy, particularly after the gelding was already on the recovery path from a prior illness.

“He pulled up a bit jarred up and sore from that terrible run at Doomben so we decided to give him more time off,” Tony McEvoy explained, referring to Veight’s last-place finish in the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 (1200m) on May 17.

“He had pneumonia after the Golden Eagle and we thought we’d given him enough time off but maybe we hadn’t so we turned him out in a paddock.

“Then he took a fall or did something and broken a bone in his neck.

“He did his third vertebrae which they say will heal. He was in a beautifully big paddock but with horses, you can have them in a box and they can hurt themselves.”

Veight has been under veterinary care at the University of Queensland and is expected to return to Victoria soon for continued rehab with the stable.

The son of Grunt has five wins and two placings from 12 starts, headlined by his triumph in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) this year. He also placed in the Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) and the Caulfield Guineas (1600m).

In contrast, stablemate Half Yours was dominant in the Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m), winning by 4½ lengths. The staying performance has seen him firm as a $26 chance in early markets for the Group 1 Caulfield Cup in October.

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