Tony McEvoy says he is more relaxed ahead of six-year-old gelding Half Yours’ Caulfield Cup run this year than he was 12 months ago.
asserted
he → say → run
At that stage, he and his son Calvin, who have trained in partnership since 2019, had not trained a Caulfield Cup winner.
asserted
who → train → winner
Half Yours was the race’s shortest-priced favourite in 20 years and there were still questions in the minds of some whether the trainers’ well-established success in training sprinters
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success → price → some
Not only did Half Yours answer that question at Caulfield with Jamie Melham in the saddle, but he backed it up a fortnight later with a historic win in the Melbourne Cup.
asserted
he → answer → Cup
Despite all their previous success in racing, the McEvoys’ world changed the moment they won Australia’s most famous race.
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they → change → race
“The recognition that we’ve had from winning the Cup has been tremendous and really lovely, to be honest,” Tony McEvoy said.
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McEvoy → have → Cup
“It’s on our resume now as Cup winners, and they can’t take that away.”
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they → ’ → that
On Saturday, Half Yours is back in the Caulfield Cup, heading into barrier seven with Mark Zahra aboard after Melham decided to instead spend her Saturday riding Blue Door in The Everest.
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Melham → head → Everest
Although disappointed that the clash in the racing schedule now means Australia’s best jockeys have to make that choice, the McEvoys were pleased with her replacement.
asserted
McEvoys → disappoint → replacement
The preparation has been different, too, as last year’s group 1 wins propelled the horse into weight-for-age company, rather than the rapid move through the grades that defined last year’s success.
asserted
that → propel → success
He will carry top weight into the Caulfield Cup and the stable knows many have their doubts he can repeat his effort from last year.
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he → carry → year
He has not been placed since the Melbourne Cup, and his last-start fifth on a heavy track at Flemington didn’t change the sceptics’ minds.
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start → place → minds
“Once you win those two big cups, your world changes, and it changed for him,” Tony McEvoy said.
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McEvoy → win → him
It changed for the McEvoy stable too, in a good way.
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It → change → way
Not only did the stable – which has horses in work at both Flemington and Ballarat after they stopped training out of their South Australian property Kildalton Park in 2022 – attract more buyers of staying horses, the father-son combination’s reputation soared.
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reputation → have → horses
Tony looks after Ballarat and Calvin is based at Flemington, although they spend plenty of time at each other’s base.
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they → look → base
Tony jokes that the geographical separation has been a blessing.
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separation → joke → ?
“When we were just in Ballarat, we were on top of each other a little bit,” Tony admits.
asserted
Tony → admit → other
“With the two stables, it works beautifully.
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it → work → stables
[Calvin’s] doing such a great job.
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Calvin → do → job
He really wants to achieve in this game, and I’m proud of him.”
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I → want → him
The pair came into racing through different paths, with Tony leaving home in Streaky Bay, South Australia as a teenager to work with Bill Holland, becoming a jockey before joining the Colin Hayes stable.
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Tony → come → stable
He had to fight for every opportunity and both worked and played hard before maturing into one of the most respected people in racing.
asserted
He → have → racing
Calvin was raised among horses and always had a million questions for David Hayes when his dad worked with him.
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dad → raise → him
Such was Calvin’s persistence, David once limited him to five queries a day so he could get some work done.
uncertain
work → limit → queries
He was also, like any person of his generation, just as likely to be inside being distracted by something or other than mucking out the stable.
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He → distract → stable
Calvin hung around pony clubs before his dad sent him to work at Kildalton Park and he went overseas to work as a pupil assistant at UK trainer David Simcock’s Newmarket operation.
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he → hang → operation
He returned to work with McEvoy Racing before the pair entered into their partnership in 2019.
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pair → return → 2019
Calvin still had plenty to learn from his father, but he brought a work ethic, an eagerness to learn, a knowledge of horses, and some much-needed tech-savvy into the business.
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he → have → business
His presence gave Tony – who has never turned on a computer in his life and jokes he still yearns for “a flip phone that rings” – a boost he never imagined possible.
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he → give → boost
“He brought a different dynamic to how I’d always done it, but that’s the beauty of hanging around with youth.
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that → bring → youth
They keep you relevant and keep you up to date,” Tony said.
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Tony → keep → date
“What he has done has invigorated me and given me the energy to go to another level too, so it’s been a fantastic thing.
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it → do → level
During the week, Calvin was up and back to Sydney at sales trying to find the next fast one after representing the stable at the barrier draw.
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Calvin → try → draw
If he wasn’t trotting up a horse, he was watching one work.
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he → trot → horse
Calvin also possesses the same drive to succeed and warm demeanour as his dad.
asserted
Calvin → possess → dad
Calvin admits the generation gap might explain their slightly different approach at times to preparing horses, but the commonalities define their relationship more than any divergences.
uncertain
commonalities → admit → divergences
“He’s old school, and they were a lot firmer on horses back in the day,” Calvin said.
asserted
Calvin → ’ → day
“I feel like I am a touch softer in terms of training, but we are very similar.
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we → feel → training
“I have been working for him for a long time.
asserted
I → work → time
…and 14 more, not listed.
The Aporia
