How Jamie Melham pushed her husband Ben aside in history-making ride

“I said, ‘So I drove like you told me,’” he said. “Normally we don’t talk about racing much, but we did about 10-15 of them yesterday and that’s exactly what I wanted it to be.”

First 200 meters: ‘I wanted to reach the rails’

Barrier draws are crucial, especially at the start of the race, which is as crowded and unpredictable as a 24-horse Cup field.

On the Saturday night of Derby Day, assistant coach Tony McEvoy announced that he wanted the seventh barrier. Part owner Neville Smith chose the replica glass with the number eight on the bottom.

“This beautiful barrier allows Jamie to relax and ride nice and smooth,” McEvoy said.

“We don’t need to be too far behind, we can be in the middle and ride it to make the journey work.”

McEvoy is an instructor with a wealth of experience. It couldn’t be closer to the truth.

Half Yours jumped cleanly from the start, allowing Melham to move into a comfortable position in the first 200 meters as the speed came from the widest barriers.

As the Outsiders, Smoking Romans, and Arapahos galloped forward, Changeoftheguard strode forward in a straight line away from barrier 24. Melham found a place four lengths back from the front and one length from the fence. He called it “perfect.”

“You visualize 20, 30 times what you want the race to be like,” he said. “I wanted to get as close to the rails as possible, but we got to a nice enough spot.”

Back straight: ‘He did a lot of wrong’

The speed was very low in the first part of the race. Last year’s winner Robbie Dolan had led Royal Supremacy ahead of Smokin’ Romans but they also appeared to be wandering.

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This can turn an ongoing race into a seated sprint affair, where jockeys wait patiently until the final 600 meters before sprinting home; This is a result that is not suitable for runners with superior endurance.

But the complexion of the race changed when Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira stopped fighting the Chris Waller-trained galloper Land Legend; This horse had a bad habit of backing away from his rider and pulling at him when reined in from the start.

As a result, Land Legend spun around the outside of the field and launched into a seven-length lead on the Maribyrnong River side of the track in a Jenni’s Pride-style move that was a wild move for such a long ride.

The race suddenly picked up speed and the distance runners were back in the game.

Moreira later said of Land Legend, “There is no manners, we went too hard.” “He did a lot of things wrong in the race.”

Melham is a superior judge of pace, knowing when to hold his cards and when to head for home. He stayed on the field, keeping his horse’s energy out of the fence. He didn’t panic.

But trainer Tony McEvoy, watching from the assembly floor, wasn’t so confident.

“I lost sight of him [Half Yours] “When that leader came out,” he said, “my eyesight is not as good as before.”

Home team Corner: ‘Let the first wave go’

Tearaway leader Land Legend had spent his chips as the field entered the final turn. He pulled himself towards the ground.

As he began to tire and the chasing group closed in, the horses began to fan out as the jockeys made their moves.

“He told me, ‘let the first wave go,’ and that’s exactly what I did,” Melham said.

By this stage Melham was sitting five lengths back and was hugging the rail and cutting into the corner. It was textbook material.

That’s when she quickly moved behind her husband and took the initiative by pushing Half Yours, Smokin’ Romans aside – Ben Melham would finish 14th.

Now the field was back in focus for McEvoy. He liked what turned out.

“I caught him leaning in (Half Is Yours),” he said. “How exciting he is, what a horseman and what a joy for us.”

Last 200 meters: ‘God, they kept this horse in great shape’

All that remained was for Melham to solve one more riddle: to find a way between the Terracotta Legend and his side’s exhausting Royal Supremacy.

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After the race, he talked about his late grandfather, who had recently passed away. Maybe the gap that opened up before him wasn’t a miracle, but it came just in time.

When Half Yours burst through the clearance he had to battle Middle Earth Irish goalkeeper Goodie Two Shoes and Ethan Brown, who went wide with a late run.

Of course he could. Half Yours was bred by the late Colin McKenna to be a survivor and in this case the genetics fell into place. Melham’s horse was full of running.

“Tony and Calvin (McEvoy), God, they keep this horse in such good shape there was absolutely no question about him finishing the ride today, they got him to bed so quickly,” Melham said.

Melham had the race under his control with 100 meters to go and extended his whip sideways and then tapped his horse’s neck as he crossed the line.

“I think I should sit down,” he said. You deserve it, Jamie.

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