Racing
Half Yours wins Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup: Post Race Trainer and Jockey Quotes
Trainer and jockey quotes following the Group 1 Lexus Melbourne Cup won by Half Yours at Flemington on Tuesday.
Race Result:1st: Half Yours (Tony & Calvin McEvoy/Jamie Melham) - $92nd: Goodie Two Shoes (Joseph O'Brien/Wayne Lordan) - $41
3rd: Middle Earth (Ciaron Maher/Ethan Brown) - $26
Winning Time: 3:22.46 Last 600m: N/A
Margins: 2-¾ lengths x 1-½ lengths
HerStory @jamieleemelham becomes the first female jockey ever to complete the Cups double, guiding HALF YOURS to victory in the 2025 Lexus Melbourne Cup.
@wwos | #MelbourneCup | #MelbCupCarnival pic.twitter.com/1PXMggTqVV
— Victoria Racing Club (@FlemingtonVRC) November 4, 2025
Winning Trainer: Tony & Calvin McEvoy
On Channel 9
Calvin McEvoy: "Unbelievable. Wow, what a horse. He's continued to raise the bar, I've got no words. It's been amazing, it's been such a big team effort. What an amazing horse. Unbelievable.
Tony McEvoy: "What a joy, what a joy. This is our great race. It's so special to win it."
"Incredible moment. From the days we grow up, the Melbourne Cup was everything.
"It's been a great race for the McEvoy family, Kerrin winning it three times. My brother Phllip owned a horse that run second in it and now for me to be able to win, for us to be able to win it, it's just amazing."
Tony on Racing.com
When did you know Cup was yours? "I lost sight of him when that leader went out . My eyes aren't as good as they were and I caught him ducking back to the inside. What a thrill and what a horse he is and what a joy he is for us."
When buying?: "I was trying to get them to stop because I thought it was enough money. They pushed hard to keep going and we had no owner for him. We specked him and wow, what a good decision that was that day. The journey that he has had us on, to be able to do what we've wanted to do to get him to this race. He's a very special horse."
"If Calvin wasn't so expensive to keep, I might have kept a share myself. There's great people in him and these people are friends of ours. They are are friends for life and we've won the great race, It's amazing."
Going back to Lindsay Park years: "You don't get anywhere without opportunity, without people helping you. I was part of that great family for so many years and three Melbourne Cups and I never thought I would be standing here with one of my own. It's very special."
Winning Jockey: Jamie Melham
On Channel 9
First emotions: "What just happened? Oh my god!"
"This is what we do it for. This is why we get up out of bed every morning at 4am, work our arses for the last 15 years I've been in this industry.
"It's tough. It's not all glorious and perfect as everyone can see sometimes.
"I've had an amazing year. Got married, had some really great days on the track but nothing ever, ever compares to this feeling right now that I'm feeling."
On Colin McKenna breeding the winner: "We've got Col up there, him and Janice bred this horse. They've done an incredible job with him, obviously."
Family supporters: "I have to mention my grandpa. He died last week. The last thing he watched was the Caulfield Cup but he was such a big supporter of mine. He was up there opening those gaps for me, because I needed a few gaps opened.
"My mum and dad are here. They've put up with all my shit for the last 15 years."
On brief chat with husband Ben after the line: "I said, 'I rode it how you told me too'. We don't normally talk racing much, but we went through this race about 10-15 times yesterday and that's exactly what I wanted to happen.
"It's not normally what you want to happen happens, but in these big races there's so many good chances, so many chances and all you need to do is give them a good ride."
On teaming with Tony and Calvin McEvoy: "They're another incredible supporter of mine. They've been there for me since I was a 15-year-old kid and continue to this day to be there for me and support me. They deserve this so much."
Second female jockey to win the Cup: "It's been long enough, ten years, I had to do it sooner or later, hopefully, you don't dream of this day because you think about it, you don't think you're actually going to win the Melbourne Cup, all week I've been thinking about it, been excited but no feeling can describe what I felt just then, what I'm still feeling."
"I'm absolutely speechless. Mum and Dad have brought out the tears again, I'd just stopped crying. This is what we wake up at stupid o'clock for every morning to come to these big days and win in front of the world. It looks like an amazing, glamorous industry on the outside and it's got its good parts, but god there's some tough parts, some really tough parts, this is why we do it, for days like this, to go down in history, winning the Melbourne Cup, what the hell just happened?"
How it unfolded: "Perfect. You play out the race in your head twenty, thirty times how you want the race to happen. I wanted to get to the rails as close as I could but we got in a nice enough spot and Ben told me, let that first wave go, that's exactly what I did, I cut through, there was a gap this big next to him and I was going to yell at him but my horse was just going too good anyway, he pulled me through the next gap, pulled me through the next gap where there was barely any room, but when a horse is going that well they just take you where you need to go."
"Tony and Calvin, god they've got this horse so fit, there was definitely no questions about him running out the trip today, they put that to bed very quickly."
"The McEvoys, they've been an incredible part of my career, my first ever Flemington winner was for them, and now I've won the Melbourne Cup for them."
"A big shout out to my grandpa up there, he watched the Caulfield Cup, that was the last thing he did before he passed away, now he's up in heaven watching me. I can't go to the funeral on Thursday but I'm joyed to be here and ride some more winners for him."
Final comment: "I just won the Melbourne Cup!"
"I think I need to sit down!"
Beaten Jockeys:
Mark Zahra (Al Riffa): "it was ok. I was four-wide and had to find a spot to get in and ther was too much to do with that weight."
Craig Williams (Buckaroo): "It was a shame we didn't get to see Buckaroo at his best. We know how good a horse he is but in today's race he was not far away from the eventual winner but he was three-wide on the back and basically put himself out of the race when they went slow."
Rachel King (Arapaho): "Really brave. He hasn't had the best set up coming into today, but honest as ever."
Blake Shinn (Vauban): "He ran super. Big turnaround from the Caulfield Cup. Hit the line well but the winner and the other horse had a bit better turn-of-foot. Very proud of the horse."
Damian Lane (Chevalier Rose): "Disappointing. Unfortunately didn't race to his best today."
Stephane Pasquier (Presage Nocturne): "A bit disappointed because he was favoured in the odds."
Ethan Brown (Middle Earth): "He ran great. This is obviously his trip, he showed his true colours today, he's going to be a much better horse next prep, that'll toughen him up but he couldn't have run much better."
James McDonald (Meydaan): "He ran well. Got into a lovely spot, switched off well but probably just found the 3200 a fraction far."
Kerrin McEvoy (Absurde): "He ran well. The pace wasn't that strong through the first part, had to give them a start. He picked up into it well, good honest run."
Thore Hammer-Hansen (Flatten The Curve): "I found myself a lot further back than ideal but he still ran a good race considering. Just probably went too quick early doors."
Joao Moreira (Land Legend): "No manners, pushed too hard. He did a lot of things wrong in the race."
Ben Melham (Smokin' Romans): "He ran well, the old bugger. He's just had a prep where he's probably been running on firm ground. He's got a bit soft ground and he's just a bit over it. Proud of him anyway."
Tim Clark (Changingoftheguard): "I thought he ran really well. Just when Land Legend went around we were in a position where we had to cart the field up which probably cost him running a few placings closer up."
Tommy Berry (More Felons): "It was very muddling run race and it made it sort of hard to move into it early enough from where we were and he's battled on ok."
Harry Coffey (Onesmoothoperator): "He had a lovely run but when the pressure came at the six hundred, he failed to quicken, the wheels were spinning on the soft going."
Michael Dee (Furthur): "He's very inexperienced still, he was a touch slow out, travelled very, very strong. We were getting knocked about the first time past the post but travelled strong, held up a nice gallop all the way to the line but his first half he's just raced a little bit ungenerously."
John Velazquez (Parchment Party): <Declined to comment>
Declan Bates (Athabascan): "Disappointing. We got deleted early and it sort of put us further back earlier than we wanted. He just hasn't quite finished off as we would have liked."
Wayne Lordan (Goodie Two Shoes): "Ran a wonderful race, got a nice position from my draw and she's run a cracker, just one better today but ran great."
Beau Mertens (River Of Stars): "She was fantastic. Slow tempo didn't suit her but when Land Legend took off, it really made her relax and in a comfortable position. She travelled in really well, probably didn't have the sprint like the others but she sustained a good gallop through the line. Very proud of her."
Robbie Dolan (Royal Supremacy): "The wide barrier wasn't in his aid today, once I couldn't get cover on him he straight away he just over raced into the first bend, I had to flow with him to get him to relax and it just told late."
Celine Gaudray (Torranzino): "Couldn't be more happier with the run that we got. He was a bit on the bridle throughout but he had a really tough finish.
Jye McNeil (Valiant King): "They found their spots quickly inside me, I wasn't able to give him every chance today, he had to do it too tough three wide facing the breeze. Initially I had cover from Land Legend but when he went I was stranded."
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