Jamie Melham is returning to Flemington for a new slice of history. There will be fireworks
The Victoria Racing Club is staging its first New Year’s Eve meeting in a move expected to double crowd sizes.
Jamie Melham is returning to Flemington for a new slice of history. There will be fireworks
Melbourne Cup heroes Jamie Melham and father-and-son training combination Tony and Calvin McEvoy will return to the scene of their greatest triumph on Wednesday as Flemington stages its first New Year’s Eve meeting.
It is the first occasion the trio have all been back together at the famous racecourse since their breathtaking win in the $10 million Melbourne Cup with home-bred stayer Half Yours.
Calvin McEvoy (left), Jamie Melham and Tony McEvoy with Melbourne Cup winner Half Yours.Credit: Eddie Jim
But this time around there will be less on the line – Melham and the McEvoys will be racing for just $65,000 when they join forces in the 1800-metre Australian Trainers’ Association plate.
Not that it won’t be significant. They will still be part of a historic moment, following Victoria Racing Club chief executive Kylie Rogers’ bold decision to reschedule the club’s traditional New Year’s Day meeting.
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The strategic move to shift the date and align the event with nearby fireworks displays, as well as introducing live entertainment, is expected to double crowd numbers to 12,000.
“We identified an opportunity to capture the energy and excitement of New Year’s Eve, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” Rogers said.
Melham will be riding Ambassadorial for the McEvoys, a five-year-old gelding owned by VRC board member Ann Peacock and her sister Jane Chapple-Hyam.
“My sister is over from the UK, and we are so thrilled that we have got a runner,” Peacock said.
Peacock said they had not played a part in the jockey booking, but were hoping the Melbourne Cup-winning team would bring them “a little bit of extra luck”.
“Jane being a trainer has always been a bit of a bossy boots to other trainers, but surprisingly, she’s just left Tony [McEvoy] right alone,” Peacock said.
