FEATURE
meant. When Half Yours hit the line, Rayner pleaded with mounting yard staff to let them in. They did. It was one of the purest moments in a yard that sees plenty of them. But among the jubilation, there is disappointment too – heads dropping as others realise it wasn’t their time. A few minutes later, the beaten horses return. The care of the horse comes first, and strappers spring straight back into action, removing saddles, offering water, and leading the horses back to the stalls after a job well done, whatever the result. The winning horse arrives under the Flemington mounting yard arch last of all, the jockey having enjoyed the walk back past the adoring crowd. Who can forget the image of Stevie Payne proudly leading his sister Michelle back under the arch? Or James McDonald in 2021 on Verry Elleegant, arms and face turned reaching up to the sky in elation? Suddenly, the yard fills again. Connections flood in; jockey and horse are praised and congratulated. Up to 30 owners per horse are welcome in the mounting yard on race day – for some, a familiar place; for others, the culmination of years spent waiting for a runner at a carnival like this. The jockey weighs in immediately, in full view of the crowd – the only time weigh-in happens in the mounting yard. Photographers and reporters swarm the rider and trainer, while the strapper quietly gets on with the job: pulling on the winning blanket and checking that the horse has come through healthy and happy. Then the VRC springs into life, wheeling in a stage for the presentations. Connections crowd the platform, heartfelt thanks are delivered, and hundreds of photographs are taken – images that will soon become part of racing history. And then, just as quickly, the activity quiets. The next race needs the yard. The stage disappears, the horses will soon return, and the whole process begins again – ready to produce another few minutes of anticipation, tension, heartbreak, or joy.
They have prepared it for this moment, presenting it at its best – coat brushed, gear checked, one last adjustment – before handing it over. Their part is done. What follows is probably the longest three minutes in their career. Strapper of Half Yours, James Rayner, created the viral moment that the whole world saw. As soon as his horse won, he ran straight to the mounting yard fence, where his children Jobe and Phoebe were waiting. Rayner had spent six months away from home as travelling foreman for trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy, caring for Half Yours on the Sunshine Coast as the horse emerged as a genuine Cup contender. His kids had encouraged him to take the role, knowing what the separation
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