Latest news with #HalfYours
Courier-Mail
17-07-2025
- Sport
- Courier-Mail
Grafton preview: Will Hulbert hints at a Cup upset with Dillian
Don't miss out on the headlines from Horse Racing. Followed categories will be added to My News. To say co-trainer Will Hulbert was surprised at the price of Dillian in the Listed Grafton Cup (2350m) would be an understatement. Hulbert is adamant Dillian should have won the Queen Elizabeth II Cup at Eagle Farm on May 31 and at least placed in the Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast last start and feels the $26 is way over the odds. 'To be brutally honest in my opinion, I think he has been slaughtered his last three starts,' said Hulbert who trains in partnership with his father, Peter. The imported gelding finished 10th in the Group 3 Queen Elizabeth II Cup and last in the Group 2 Brisbane Cup behind Campaldino both times before an eighth to Half Yours in the Listed Caloundra Cup. The Form: Complete NSW Racing thoroughbred form, including video replays and all you need to know about every horse, jockey and trainer. Find a winner here! Prior to those three runs, he kicked off his campaign, his first for the stable, with back-to-back wins over 2050m at Doomben and 2400m at Eagle Farm. 'I think he should have run second in the Caloundra Cup, the Brisbane Cup, who knows if he can run two miles but being three-wide for the first 1000 metres doesn't help,' Hulbert said. 'In the QE II Cup, I've got no doubt in my mind he would have won that if he got clear air from the 800 metres. 'I would have thought Dillian would have been near favourite. 'We know he can definitely run the distance. 'I've got our old apprentice, Adin Thompson, on this week 'He doesn't need good luck to win, he just doesn't need bad luck. 'From barrier 4, he's going to get a nice run and if he gets clear running from the 800 metres, I think he will be the one to beat.' Joining Dillian in the Grafton Cup is fellow import Zoology who is also in his first preparation for the stable. The son of Zoustar pleased Hulbert on his first-up run over 1350m at Doomben despite beating just three home. The five-year-old then finished second over 1800m at the Sunshine Coast and third to Eaglemont over 1650m at Doomben before returning there last Saturday with a nice win over 2000m. 'He has shown a lot of ability from the first day her arrived in the stable,' Hulbert said. 'He was going really well leading into his first-up run for us but he just had to go back to near last from the barrier because I didn't want to give him a gut buster first-up. 'He still ran quite well and the form has been franked by The Inflictor. 'I thought he would win two starts ago over the mile at Doomben then I galloped him on the Saturday then when the data that came back from the Equimetre came back, I thought 'crap' he is looking for 2000 metres. 'That's was how he raced so we stepped him up to the 2000 metres last Saturday and he blew them away. He had a really good turn of foot at the end of it.' Apprentice Rob Thorburn rode Zoology a treat last weekend and Hulbert had no hesitation sticking with him in the Cup and isn't concerned by the five day back-up for the gelding. 'I had no intentions of taking Rob off at all,' he said. 'He rides a bit of work for me and has had 13 rides for five wins. 'The quick back-up back doesn't concern me at all. He pulled up extremely well. 'The only query is stepping up to the 2350 metres for the first time. 'From barrier 1, he's not going to spend any petrol for the first three-quarters of the race anyway so may as well through caution to the wind and see what happens.'
News.com.au
05-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Tony McEvoy dreaming of Caulfield Cup after securing Caloudra Cup with Half Yours
Victorian trainer Tony McEvoy 's ultimate goal of taking Half Yours to the Caulfield Cup moved a step closer to reality on Saturday when the tough gelding emphatically won the $300,000 Listed Caloundra Cup (2400m) at the Sunshine Coast. McEvoy wasn't sure whether $3.50 favourite Half Yours would run the 2400m but those doubts were convincingly put to bed on a soft track at Corbould Park. The four-year-old finished 4½ lengths ahead of Bear On The Loose ($4.20), with the Tony Gollan-trained Felix The Scat ($17) another two lengths back, to rubberstamp his Caulfield Cup credentials. It is unlikely Half Yours will be ready for this year's $5m Caulfield Cup on October 18 but next year's edition will be front of mind for Tony McEvoy and his training partner and son Calvin. 'When you look at his form and how he's kept progressing, to come out and do what he did there (in the Caloundra Cup), I mean that was a dominant win,' Tony McEvoy said. 'Of course this is a long way from the Caulfield Cup, I'm a realist. 'But we've bought this horse (for $305,000), he's the right age and if he's well then we'll head down that path (Caulfield Cup) and we can always divert. 'There are so many options, aren't there? But you've got to have a target and the Caulfield Cup is a pretty good one to target.' Half?! It's all his today! Half Yours explodes away and leaves them standing in the Listed Caloundra Cup! ðŸ'¨ And it's a @SCTurfClub double to @mcevoymitchell and @AshMorgan6! 🙌 â€' SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) July 5, 2025 Belmont Bloodstock and McEvoy Mitchell Racing purchased Half Yours last November, with the McEvoys taking over his training from Victoria's leading trainer Ciaron Maher. 'Ciaron was the underbidder and he was disappointed he didn't retain him,' McEvoy told Racenet earlier this week. 'He dropped the ball there but I'm glad he did.' It was a terrific day for winning Welsh-born jockey Ash Morgan, who had earlier saluted for the McEvoys on Mr Verse in the opening race. 'It was a muddily run race,' Morgan said about the Caloundra Cup, won last year by Angela Jones on Mission Of Love. 'Bailey (Wheeler on Nikau Spur) went for it in the race which allowed me to flow into it. 'When I went for him he exploded. I think he's a proper horse. 'His strength is that he relaxes really well in the run and has an explosive turn of foot. He put them to bed. 'Down in the weights, and there's a lot of good races over two miles, there's not really any ceiling for that. 'Thanks to Tony for four rides today and they were all immaculately prepared and they all ran enormous. 'My first rides for the stable and hopefully not my last.'
News.com.au
04-07-2025
- Sport
- News.com.au
Victorian trainer Tony McEvoy has Caulfield Cup plans for Caloundra Cup favourite Half Yours
Victorian trainer Tony McEvoy has Caulfield Cup aspirations for Half Yours but the gelding must first prove he can run the 2400m trip in Saturday's $300,000 Listed Caloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast. The four-year-old Half Yours is the $3.70 favourite for the Caloundra Cup, ahead of Bear On The Loose ($4.60) and Don Diego De Vega ($6), with the rest of the field in double-figure odds. McEvoy walked the Sunshine Coast track on Friday morning and predicted it would be in the Soft 6 range on Saturday when the Queensland winter carnival draws to a close. A bottomless track would have better suited Half Yours, given he saluted in a Benchmark 78 (1800m) on a Heavy 8 at Rosehill in late May before finishing runner-up to Freight Train at the same track over 2000m on a soft surface on June 14. 'All horses can handle this ground but he won't be disadvantaged by this,' said McEvoy, who trains in partnership with his son Calvin. 'He's had some gut-busting runs and he's very fit so I'm not worried about that. 'The only obstacle he's got that I can see is he's untried at the trip. His pedigree says he should run the trip but pedigrees aren't everything. 'If he runs a mile-and-a-half then he looks a very strong winning chance. We're coming out of Benchmark races so we do have to step up.' Belmont Bloodstock and McEvoy Mitchell Racing purchased Half Yours for $305,000 last November, with the McEvoys taking over his training from Victoria's leading trainer Ciaron Maher. 'He was a little bit busy when he came to us,' McEvoy said about Half Yours. 'Ciaron was excellent when we purchased the horse – he was the underbidder, I believe and he was disappointed he didn't retain him. 'Ciaron desperately wanted to keep him and I don't know how we beat him to be honest. 'He dropped the ball there but I'm glad he did. Ciaron said 'look he's very immature but he's a nice, young horse'. 'He was always on the bounce a bit at trackwork and wanting to do a little bit more than what you wanted but that's just immaturity. He's getting better all the time.' Trainer Tony McEvoy gives a rundown on Half Yours and Charming Nic ahead of his first Caloundra Cup meeting at the Sunshine Coast. 🎥 via @eddiefranklin47 — Racenet (@RacenetTweets) July 2, 2025 And if Half Yours keeps improving at a rapid rate, then the $5m Group 1 Caulfield Cup will come into the picture, possibly in October but more likely in 2026. The primary spring target for Half Yours will be the $500,000 Listed Ballarat Cup (2000m) on December 6. 'Hopefully we can win this race (Caloundra Cup) to get this rating up to a place that will help him in the spring,' McEvoy said. 'He won't be there at the start of the (spring) carnival because he's up here (in Queensland) now. 'It's all getting pushed back a bit now which is helpful to him. 'Is he a Caulfield Cup horse this year? I don't know but he's got all that to look forward to. 'He's a sound horse and I'm very excited about him.'
The Age
12-06-2025
- Sport
- The Age
Rejuvenated Gibbons out to ice comeback with Winter Cup victory
'Pretty much every Saturday since the Queensland carnival has been on, I've had a near-full book,' he said. 'Last year I won the Brisbane Cup, and it would be my plan normally to follow the carnivals around, but obviously with circumstances, I'm very happy to be doing what I'm doing. Thankfully I've had a bit of luck too, so it's been good. 'It's probably the best I've felt physically and mentally. When I was out I was pretty frustrated, but I look back now and I wouldn't change it. I think it got my mind in a good place and that seems to be showing in the results.' Gibbons rides Changingoftheguard ($8.50 Sportsbet) for his former boss, Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, in the Saturday's Rosehill feature, the Winter Cup (2400m). The Lloyd Williams-owned import is first-up off a 1200m trial as he kicks off a second preparation in Australia. Gibbons is yet to ride the six-year-old Galileo gelding, a group 2-winner over 2400m at Royal Ascot, but he was encouraged by the report from his dad, Andrew, who took Changingoftheguard to the Newcastle trial win. 'He was rapt with him,' he said. 'He said for a horse who was going first-up 2400, he was surprised how well he quickened. He said he felt terrific and he gave him a really strong hit-out. 'He knew before me that I was on him, and he gave me a good enough push that he was going as well as he can and was fit, so I'm looking forward to Saturday. 'It's not the normal thing you see in Australia, to be running first-up over 2400, but if he was still overseas, he'd be doing exactly that. I reckon you could easily see him running well, but over here, because you don't see it, you'd be a bit brave trusting it, but Kris would have him screwed down.' Gibbons also rides Half Yours, a $3.90 favourite in the ninth, for Tony and Calvin McEvoy. The four-year-old was part of Gibbons' double on a heavy Rosehill track two weeks ago. 'I galloped him on Monday morning and even though he had a tough win, his work and how he was before and after it suggests he's taken no harm from that,' he said. Loading 'You are always a bit reserved when horses run so well, especially on wet tracks, whether they can back it up, but I'm glad I went and galloped him.' He also partners with Lees in the fourth with Tasoraay, which was a $5 chance after a first-up win at Scone on May 16. 'I was desperate to ride him first up, but he kept drawing bad or there were wet tracks, so I missed out,' he said. 'Glad to be back on him because he was dominant first up, so hopefully he can back it up.' He has Chris Waller-trained favourite Crusader Voyage ($3.80) in the first and was confident King Of Roseau ($11, seventh) and Stagnum ($9.50, fifth) would run well after riding them in trackwork or trials. His other rides are Miss Spacegirl ($12, race three), Bush Telegraph ($27, two) and Interjection ($13, six).
Sydney Morning Herald
12-06-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Rejuvenated Gibbons out to ice comeback with Winter Cup victory
'Pretty much every Saturday since the Queensland carnival has been on, I've had a near-full book,' he said. 'Last year I won the Brisbane Cup, and it would be my plan normally to follow the carnivals around, but obviously with circumstances, I'm very happy to be doing what I'm doing. Thankfully I've had a bit of luck too, so it's been good. 'It's probably the best I've felt physically and mentally. When I was out I was pretty frustrated, but I look back now and I wouldn't change it. I think it got my mind in a good place and that seems to be showing in the results.' Gibbons rides Changingoftheguard ($8.50 Sportsbet) for his former boss, Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, in the Saturday's Rosehill feature, the Winter Cup (2400m). The Lloyd Williams-owned import is first-up off a 1200m trial as he kicks off a second preparation in Australia. Gibbons is yet to ride the six-year-old Galileo gelding, a group 2-winner over 2400m at Royal Ascot, but he was encouraged by the report from his dad, Andrew, who took Changingoftheguard to the Newcastle trial win. 'He was rapt with him,' he said. 'He said for a horse who was going first-up 2400, he was surprised how well he quickened. He said he felt terrific and he gave him a really strong hit-out. 'He knew before me that I was on him, and he gave me a good enough push that he was going as well as he can and was fit, so I'm looking forward to Saturday. 'It's not the normal thing you see in Australia, to be running first-up over 2400, but if he was still overseas, he'd be doing exactly that. I reckon you could easily see him running well, but over here, because you don't see it, you'd be a bit brave trusting it, but Kris would have him screwed down.' Gibbons also rides Half Yours, a $3.90 favourite in the ninth, for Tony and Calvin McEvoy. The four-year-old was part of Gibbons' double on a heavy Rosehill track two weeks ago. 'I galloped him on Monday morning and even though he had a tough win, his work and how he was before and after it suggests he's taken no harm from that,' he said. Loading 'You are always a bit reserved when horses run so well, especially on wet tracks, whether they can back it up, but I'm glad I went and galloped him.' He also partners with Lees in the fourth with Tasoraay, which was a $5 chance after a first-up win at Scone on May 16. 'I was desperate to ride him first up, but he kept drawing bad or there were wet tracks, so I missed out,' he said. 'Glad to be back on him because he was dominant first up, so hopefully he can back it up.' He has Chris Waller-trained favourite Crusader Voyage ($3.80) in the first and was confident King Of Roseau ($11, seventh) and Stagnum ($9.50, fifth) would run well after riding them in trackwork or trials. His other rides are Miss Spacegirl ($12, race three), Bush Telegraph ($27, two) and Interjection ($13, six).
