Racing
A Closer Look – Caulfield Cup
A look into the record of Naturalism Stakes winners in the Caulfield Cup
Half Yours could not have been more impressive winning the Group 3 Naturalism Stakes on September 20, a performance that saw him shoot to the top of Caulfield Cup betting.
The Tony and Calvin McEvoy-trained gelding since caught the eye in the Group 1 Turnbull Stakes and could now start the second shortest-priced Caulfield Cup favourite this millennium.
He was $2.80 after coming up with gate two at Wednesday's barrier draw , a price he held on Thursday morning, and since 2000 the only horse to start shorter in a Caulfield Cup is Incentivise, who won at $2.30 in 2021.
Half Yours will be charged with rectifying the poor Caulfield Cup record of winners of the Naturalism Stakes, which became a key part of the Caulfield Cup pathway in 2007 when a ballot exemption was attached to the 2000-metre event.
Only Jameka, in 2016, has completed the double and the only other Naturalism winners to finish better than sixth in the Caulfield Cup were Douro Valley and Nonconformist, who finished second in 2007 and 2021 respectively.
But those keen on Half Yours have enough ratings ammunition to back up the belief that he can at least outperform most Naturalism winners in the Caulfield Cup.
That Ciaron Maher-trained mare is one of only two Naturalism winners to have run a higherTimeform
rating than the 116+ Half Yours was awarded for his win.Jameka went 118 in the Naturalism, the same number December Draw ran in his win five years earlier. December Draw won the Turnbull at his following start and went around $3.30 favourite in the Caulfield Cup but was injured in the run and failed to be a runner home.
Two others have won the Naturalism in 116 since 2007; Uncle Bryn, who did not run in the Cup in the year of his victory, and Harlem, who ran eighth as a $9 chance in the 2017 edition won by Boom Time.
Half Yours should get his chance to run a new peak from barrier two and inside alleys have proven the key to many a Caulfield Cup success.
Not THE inside alley – it's been 84 years since a horse won from barrier one, which is Absurde's starting position this year – but 19 of the past 30 have started from a single-digit barrier.
Gate nine – the barrier Adelaide River will start from on Saturday – is the most successful starting position in that time with four wins, followed by barriers three (Middle Earth), six (Royal Supremacy) and seven (Deakin) with three wins apiece.
Naturalism Stakes winners in the Caulfield Cup (since 2007)
2007 – DOURO VALLEY (Naturalism rating – 113, 2nd in Caul Cup at $12)
2009 – RED LORD (Naturalism – 113, 14th in Caul Cup at $41)
2011 – DECEMBER DRAW (Naturalism – 118, last in Caul Cup as $3.20 fav)
2012 – FOLDING GEAR (Naturalism – 109, 7th in Caul Cup at $26)
2013 – MR O'CEIRIN (Naturalism – 114, 11th in Caul Cup at $51)
2015 – MAGNAPAL (Naturalism – 108, 14th in Caul Cup at $31)
2016 – JAMEKA (Naturalism – 118, WON Caul Cup at $4.20 fav)
2017 – HARLEM (Naturalism – 116, 8th in Caul Cup at $9)
2018 – NIGHT'S WATCH (Naturalism – 115, 16th in Caul Cup at $17)
2019 – BRIMHAM ROCKS (Naturalism – 113, 14th in Caul Cup at $31)
2021 – NONCONFORMIST (Naturalism – 114, 2nd in Caul Cup at $9)
2022 – SMOKIN' ROMANS (Naturalism – 110, 7th in Caul Cup as $2.90 fav)
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