Elphinstone delivered a dominant performance to claim the Listed C S Hayes Memorial Cup (1600m) at Morphettville on Monday, March 10, securing an important black-type win for Tony & Calvin McEvoy.
Ridden by Jamie Melham, the four-year-old mare by Street Boss settled at the rear of the field before producing a devastating finishing burst, storming home late to put the race away with ease.
The pace was genuine early as Wild Imagination and A Samurai Mind pressed forward to take up prominent positions, while Flash Flood and Episodic tracked the speed.
Elphinstone was happy to bide her time at the rear, saving her best work for the business end of the race.
As the field straightened, A Samurai Mind took the lead but was quickly tackled by Episodic before Elphinstone loomed ominously wider out.
Once asked for an effort, she let down strongly, charging past her rivals to score a decisive victory, priced as the $2.40 favourite with the top horse racing bookmakers.
2025 C S Hayes Memorial Cup Replay – Elphinstone
It was a fitting result for Tony McEvoy, who was a long-time foreman for the C S Hayes stable in his early career.
“She gives everything in her races, so we space her runs, and she’s rewarded us today with a stakes win. She was stakes-placed heading into today, and now she’s a stakes winner. We had her in the Matron Stakes in Melbourne on Saturday, but this looked a better option, and it’s paid off,” McEvoy said post-race.
Jockey Jamie Melham was full of praise for the mare, particularly the way she sustained her finishing burst.
“The one instruction I had today was to get her to relax and switch off. She was too forward last time, but today she settled beautifully. The tempo wasn’t that fast early, but when they increased it at the 600m, she was able to build momentum and was just too strong late,” Melham said.
Elphinstone has now won six of her 19 career starts, adding this valuable black-type victory to her resume.
The stable will now assess future plans, with McEvoy noting that no firm targets have been set beyond this race.
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