Half Yours measures up nicely in G1 Doomben Cup

BRISBANE – Co-trainer Calvin McEvoy was initially not thrilled to see Pride Of Jenni bob up as a surprise rival for Half Yours in the Hollindale Stakes (1,800m), but he is optimistic that having had a run against her will aid his prospects in feature events to come.

The Melbourne Cup winner finished fourth in the Group 2 event on the Gold Coast on May 9, which was won by the Ciaron Maher-trained Pride Of Jenni, and they will again clash in the A$1 million (S$915,000) Doomben Cup (2,000m) on May 23.

The weight-for-age Group 1 contest was always slated as the third-up run for Half Yours, ahead of the Group 2 The Q22 (2,200m) at Eagle Farm on June 13.

McEvoy – who trains Half Yours in partnership with his father Tony – said the one positive of having run against the relentless front runner second-up was that the son of St Jean was probably fitter than he otherwise would have been.

“It was a hard run and nothing took him into the race, so he had to make that run quite early and he was probably entitled to level off a little bit that last furlong, which I think he did,” said McEvoy.

“But if you’re stepping up in trip, those hard runs are what you want and he definitely had that.

“He’s come through the run well. He’ll be well-suited this weekend and then even better suited in The Q22.”

The five-year-old gelding will be having his first start at Doomben in the Doomben Cup, but familiarised himself with the track with a low-key gallop between races at the Doomben 10,000 meeting on May 16.

“He had a look around Doomben, which he got around fine, but obviously it’s a tight circuit and it’s a circuit that, once again, is going to suit Pride Of Jenni,” said McEvoy.

“But he’s come through last week very well, a bit of rain around will help and he’s had that second-up run.

“If you look through his form second-up last time, he nearly got beaten in a Benchmark 64 at Seymour.

“So, maybe the second-up run is one that’s, I am not going to say flat because he still ran well, but we’re hoping he springboards off of that.”

The classy Hollindale Stakes runner-up Birdman will be ridden by James McDonald again in his showdown with Half Yours and Pride Of Jenni in the Doomben Cup.

Trained by Chris Waller, Birdman chased home Pride Of Jenni last time, cutting the mare’s winning margin to less than a length on the line.

But McDonald senses the son of Free Eagle can improve enough to turn the tables on Pride Of Jenni this time.

“Birdman gave me a terrific feel the other day,” said the New Zealand-born top rider.

“He chased hard and was strong through to the line. I think he is the one to beat off that run.”

In the early TAB Fixed Odds betting for the Doomben Cup, Birdman is at 4-1, behind only Half Yours at 9-5 favourite and Pride Of Jenni at 3-1.

If Birdman claims his first Group 1 victory in the Doomben Cup, it will be Waller’s 200th career Group 1 win and the trainer’s 20th for the 2025-26 season.

It will also be the Sydney premier handler’s fourth win in the feature weight-for-age race, equalling the race training record of fellow Hall of Fame trainer, Lee Freedman.

Only two trainers in Australian racing history have prepared the winners of 200 or more Group 1 races, and they are the legendary duo of Tommy Smith and Bart Cummings.

Remarkably, Smith and Cummings both ended their careers with 246 Group 1 wins.

Waller seems certain to break the records of Smith and Cummings in the next few years, but his immediate focus is the Doomben Cup where he will have multiple runners with Birdman, Kovalica and Militarize among others nominated for the big race.

The Doomben Cup is the feature race on a meeting that also includes the key lead-up to the Group 1 Queensland Oaks (2,200m), the Group 2 The Roses (2,000m), and the Group 3 BRC Sprint (1,350m), which carries a ballot exemption from the Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap (1,400m) on June 13. RACING AND SPORTS