Jamie Melham became the first female jockey to win both the Caulfield Cup and Melbourne Cup after guiding Half Yours to victory at Flemington. The Australian-bred runner, trained by Tony and Calvin McEvoy, scored comfortably at $9 odds, finishing ahead of Irish contender Goodie Two Shoes ($41) and Middle Earth ($26) in third place.
Irish trainer Joseph O'Brien, who previously won the Cup with Rekindling and Twilight Payment, brings Al Riffa to Australia as a strong contender. The six-year-old carries topweight of 59 kilograms, a burden no Cup winner has shouldered since Rain Lover in 1969. Despite barrier 19, jockey Mark Zahra remains confident after riding four winners on Saturday.
Buckaroo, placed in four consecutive Group 1 races this spring, will be ridden by 2019 Cup-winning jockey Craig Williams. The Chris Waller-trained stalwart, favourite in last year's Cup, recovered well from a narrow second in the Cox Plate. Vauban, now trained by Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott, seeks to improve after an unlucky fifth in the Metropolitan and a 13th in the Caulfield Cup.
Japan's Chevalier Rose, a winner over 3,600 metres at Nakayama, has struggled recently but commands respect given the history of Japanese gallopers in Australian features. French-trained Presage Nocturne impressed on Australian debut with a fourth in the Caulfield Cup and is expected to start near the top of the markets.
