Half Yours, who is trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, was sent off at 8/1, the joint-shortest price of the home team on the back of his victory in the Caulfield Cup last month.
He won by two and three-quarter lengths from 40/1 shot Goodie Two Shoes, representing owner JP McManus and trainer Joseph O’Brien, while two horses formerly trained in Britain filled the frame with Middle Earth in third and River of Stars fourth. Middle Earth, formerly trained by the Gosdens, is now with Ciaron Maher and was improving on the form he had shown when down the field behind Half Yours in the Caulfield Cup, while River of Stars, who joined Chris Waller from Ralph Beckett, was runner-up to Half Yours at Caulfield.
O’Brien’s leading fancy, Al Riffa, the 7/1 second favourite, stayed on into seventh but could never land a blow. Alessandro Botti’s Presage Nocturne, who had finished an encouraging fourth behind Half Yours in the Caulfield Cup, was sent off the 9/2 favourite but was well beaten.
‘This is what we dream of’
O’Brien, who won the Melbourne Cup in 2017 with Rekindling and 2020 with Twilight Payment, had every chance of winning the race for a third time when Goodie Two Shoes came there travelling strongly and hit the front under Wayne Lordan inside the final couple of furlongs.
However, Half Yours, who had been positioned in mid-division in the early stages, was making headway towards the inside and managed to weave his way through a couple of narrow gaps to get a clear passage with a furlong and a half to run.
Goodie Two Shoes stuck to her task well but was headed at the furlong pole by Half Yours who asserted and was well on top at the line.
Melham said: “This is what we dream of when we first get our jockey licence. You want to ride in the Melbourne Cup, let alone win the Melbourne Cup.
“That’s something I’ve been thinking about all week, but it doesn’t sink in. This feeling is indescribable. We just won the best race in Australia.”
Half Yours didn’t have much room early in the straight, but Melham was confident her mount had the pace to take the gaps when they opened up. She added: “When you’ve got a horse that’s travelling that well it doesn’t matter how big the gaps are. He just pulled me through. The next gap was even tighter.
“The horse was that fit and was not stopping at all and at about the 400 [metre mark] I thought ‘Jesus Christ, I think I’m going to win this’.”
‘This is our great race’
Calvin McEvoy said: “Wow, what a horse. Didn’t he just continue to raise the bar? I’ve got no words, it’s been amazing, such a big team effort. What an amazing horse, unbelievable.”
He was joined in the celebrations by his father, Tony McEvoy, who said: “What a joy, this is our great race and it’s so special to win it.
“It’s an incredible moment, from the days we grew up the Melbourne Cup was everything. It’s been a great race for the McEvoy family – Kerrin winning it three times [on Brew, Almandin and Cross Counter] and my brother Philip owned a horse that ran second in it – and for us to be able to win it is just amazing.”