From the trots to Melbourne Cup glory

A career with horses that started in harness racing has resulted in James Rayner living out a Melbourne Cup dream.

Rayner is travelling foreman for the Ballarat-based Tony and Calvin McEvoy stable and strapper of Half Yours, who scored an historic victory in the race that stops a nation at Flemington on Tuesday.

It completed a memorable feature double after he won the Caulfield Cup on October 18.

The 46-year-old is well-known in harness racing circles, and even drove two winners during a short stint in the sulky through 2017.

Rayner won his maiden race with the Emma Stewart-trained Rock Classic at Bendigo on April 5 and then backed up with his second success on stablemate Apache Shark at the same track on September 7 that year.

“I spent a lot of time in harness racing,” Rayner told Gareth Hall during a special edition of Giddy Up. “With Damien and Greg Burns, and I think I met you (Gareth) over in Perth during the Inter Dominion. I was over there for Emma (Stewart) and Clayton (Tonkin).

“And then I ventured across to the thoroughbred game with Melody and Steve Cunningham, and then I was assistant trainer to Rob Hickmott for a couple of years, who was a great mentor.

“And then, just an off chance, I did a little job for Calvin and Tony (McEvoy) to Kyneton one day. Me and Rayan Moore were having a personal level chat and there was a little chance to travel to Queensland, and I took the role.”

Rayner has been pivotal in the rise of Half Yours, who claimed the listed Coloundra Cup at the Sunshine Coast in July and Group 3 Naturalism Stakes at Caulfield in September on his way to the cups double.

“I’m on the footage and all that, but there’s so many people involved from Ballarat, Flemington and people when we’ve travelled abroad,” Rayner said. “We have to have good people when you travel horses.

“And I’m not even one per cent of this story because there is a lot of people that aren’t in that footage that have done a hell of a lot more than what I have collectively.

“It’s been a fantastic little ride.”

LISTEN TO RAYNER’S CHAT WITH GARETH HALL BELOW

by Tim O’Connor, for HRV